Loss
by Eeyorethedonkey3
Summary: COMPLETE! Please read and thanks so much for the great reviews!
1. Intial Loss

Disclaimer: I own nothing  
  
Author's note: my first story, plz review; be merciful, lol. This story is mainly about what happened after Clark left; mainly revolving around Martha and Jonathon, and Lionel.  
  
Martha sat up, breathing heavily. She sighed in sadness. She couldn't sleep for more than ten minutes. She kept having the same dream. It wasn't a nightmare, as one might expect. It was a wonderful dream about her baby. It was early in the morning and she was holding the baby. Jonathon and Clark were there too, and both smiling, happy. Her father was there too. Jonathon and her father had made peace. Her whole life, the past and present, had come together, because of the baby, who was the future. She smiled, as she never had before. Clark, Jonathon and her father smiled too. That is where she would wake up. For a moment, she was in utter bliss; then reality set in. Her baby was dead, even before it was born. Martha began to cry again, in utter depression.  
  
Jonathon, who was sleeping in a chair by the hospital bed, woke up. He rubbed her hand, and remembered his own dream. His was far less clear, and was quite a nightmare. It was about Clark. Clark in his dream had run away, and was far away. In his dream, Clark was riding the motorcycle, and not speaking. But the voice of Jor-El was speaking to him. He couldn't understand the voice, but Jonathon could feel his son's shame and depression. That was about where the dream ended. He sighed wearily. Lana had come to him earlier that day and had told him that Clark had left. Jonathon had yet to tell Martha. He knew her soul could not bear yet another loss, especially of Clark, her only child.  
  
Lionel looked out into the bleak rain from his office in Lex's mansion. He mused over the events of the last few days. He was having a second Kryptonite key made for him; and he was getting over the robbery of the first. Lionel felt a bit ashamed, the Ross boy was right; he had shown how angry and weak he was. Ah well, he thought, it was almost ancient history. What he could not figure out was how he had managed to steal the key, or what he wanted to do with it. Maybe he just wanted to make Lionel mad. God knows everyone on the town wanted too. His office door opening interrupted his thoughts. Chloe Sullivan walked in.  
"Ah, Ms. Sullivan. What a wonderful surprise!" he exclaimed.  
"Mr. Luthor, I have some bad news. Your son, your plane, its missing. The plane is missing, and your son is on it. Helen and the crew are safe, but Lex," Chloe tried to speak quickly, and not to cry. Her and Lex had never been friends, but the thought of him dead.  
"Thank you Chloe. Please, leave me." Lionel rasped. "Mr. Luthor, that is not all. I thought you might like to know, that, not officially or anything, you are suspected as causing this." With that, Chloe left.  
  
As soon as she hurried out, he collapsed into his chair. His son, missing. And he, the prime suspect! What was this? He would never kill Lex. But who would? In shock, he tried to think of all the people who would have something against him or his son. He didn't know what hurt more; His son lost, or him as a suspect. Hurt, he mused, a feeling not felt in a long time. Or any true feeling for that matter. Not in a very long time. He had felt his emotions a bit, when Martha was around him. But he truly hadn't had emotion since Lillian's death. On that thought, Lionel slowly fainted. 


	2. A bit of her soul, along with the coffee

Authors note: okay, this chapter is about the next day; the first day without Clark. Martha remains at the hospital, and starts asking questions. Lionel begins to deal with reality.  
  
Martha awoke to slight commotion in her room. Jonathon was quietly trying to convince the nurse to let him stay in the room with her.  
  
"But, ma'am, no, I know I was here all night and I shouldn't have been, I know, but please, let me stay," he stammered, obviously very tired. Martha smiled wearily.  
  
"Jonathon, I'm awake." She whispered softly to him, and squeezed his hand. He immediately turned to face her. The nurse threw her hands in the air and left the room.  
  
"G'morning sweetheart." He whispered.  
  
"Were you here all night?" she asked.  
  
"Yes. I fell asleep in the chair. I woke up when you did, but I didn't leave."  
  
"Yes," she sighed, "I am afraid I didn't sleep very well. Too many dreams." Jonathon nodded gravely. Then, as if the thought of her dream reset reality within her, she began to cry again,  
  
"Oh Jonathon!" she began to cry heavily, and buried herself in her husband's arms. Jonathon hung his head. It killed him to see Martha so sad, he could never understand how life could deny her a child, and when he thought of what would happen when she learned of Clark, a silent tear made its way down his face too.  
  
Lionel felt the same depression as he regained consciousness around the same time Martha awoke. All too quickly, what had happened the night before set in, and he sighed. What to do, what to do, he thought. One thing his mind could know for sure was that he had to get out of the house. He knew he would be subject to looks, but he didn't care. Perhaps a walk would clear his mind. Lionel quickly summoned his driver, and went to the center of town.  
  
Lionel stopped at the Talon and got out. He went to the driver's window, and told him to go home, and that he would call when he wanted to leave. The driver gave him a weird look, but obliged and drove away. Lionel looked at his feet, and shuffled into the Talon.  
  
Lana was busily serving tables and hardly noticed the new customer walk in and take a seat by the window. Clark, Lex, and Chloe's usual seat. She quickly tried to push the thought of Lex and Clark out of her head. And Chloe; she hadn't said a word last night. Something was wrong. But right now, with so many things wrong, she couldn't take the time to go into it. Lana hastily made her way to the table, trying to look normal for the customer who obviously didn't know the thought wave sitting in that seat had put in her head, and probably didn't care. She reached the table and said,  
  
"Hi, welcome to the Talon! Can I get you something to drink?" she had been writing on the pad, and looked at the customer at the end of her sentence, and she gasped. A forlorn, dismal-looking Lionel Luthor looked back up at her.  
  
"Ms. Lang" he said politely. "I assume the coffee shop business is going well." She replied affirmatively.  
  
"Well, I do think I would like a black coffee, no cream, and no sugar.' He asked politely. She nodded meekly, and said,  
  
"I heard about Lex. How are you?"  
  
"Well, Ms. Lang, my son is probably dead, and his wife to blame. And no, I had no part in this. Spread the news to the coffee shop crowd. My son is gone. And I am, once again, all alone in this world."  
  
"Mr. Luthor, I am very sorry for your loss. I might even understand it. I lost both my parents in the meteor shower," Lionel, staring at his hands, nodded. "I would put this coffee on the house," Lionel grimaced. "But I think I will do you one better. I'll get your coffee, feel free to sit here as long as you like. I won't sit anyone near you, I see you would prefer to be alone." Lana quickly left, and Lionel whispered his thanks. When she returned, she said to him,  
  
"Perhaps you might like to go see Mr. and Mrs. Kent." Lionel, who had not moved his eyes from the coffee in his hands, looked abruptly up.  
  
"Now why, Ms. Lang, would I ever like to do a thing like that?"  
  
"Because they are going through loss as well. In the power surge, they were driving home. Their truck was overturned, and Mrs. Kent was injured. She lost the baby. Clark ran away after learning this." Lana stopped pouring and looked at him.  
  
"I know the problems between you and Mr. Kent. But, it might even help the three of you. I know Mr. Kent is having a hard time. When I told him Clark had run away he could hardly breathe. I don't believe he has told Mrs. Kent yet. You could somehow, be a comfort to them."  
  
"Ms. Lang, I have never been a comfort to anyone in my entire life." Lionel rasped.  
  
"They are at the hospital, in any case." Lana quickly left, leaving the pot on the table. She went into the back room and closed her eyes. She had no idea why she had said so much to Lionel Luthor about the Kents and Clark. It was just, someone had a loss like them, like her, she could not help pouring a bit of her soul to him, along with the coffee. Slowly, she dried her tears, wiped her eyes, and returned to work. She kept an eye on Lionel. Every now and again she would glance over at him, and it was always the same. Lionel wasn't moving, just taking little sips of his coffee, and staring straight ahead. 


	3. Thoughts and Acceptance

Martha sat up in the hospital bed, staring at her hands. She tried not to think, thinking led to thoughts of the baby, thoughts of the baby led to tears. She just tried to think of nothing. However, it wasn't working.  
  
Jonathan sat in the chair by the bed, where he had been for hours. He kept glancing at Martha, wondering what was going through her head. He did not want to leave her side, he knew he had to be there for her as they both dealt with the loss of the baby. But he did not what to be there when she asked about Clark. Because he knew if she knew he had run away, she would be once again heartbroken. And he wanted to die for it.  
  
Pete hurried to the hospital room. He cautiously turned the corners in the wing, not too anxious to get to his destination. Pete was ridden with guilt, for stealing the Kryptonite key, for letting Clark run. But he had to learn how Mrs. Kent was doing. Although Clark hadn't said to, Pete felt it was his duty to take care of Clark's parents. It was the least he could do.  
  
Lionel found himself staring at the front of the Smallville hospital. He had left money on the table for his coffee and walked out. He had just walked around, not thinking where he was going, only thinking of Lex. Thinking of Lex led to thinking of Lillian, and Julian, and death. And death led to the thought of Lex, abandoned on the plane. He had read in the paper that Helen and the pilot had been found on a small island, and Lex was said to be in the missing plane. Helen admitted nothing, but the pilot, in a moment of stress, had told police everything; how Helen had been hired to be close to Lex, how she and him had cut the wires once Lex had been drugged, and how they had parachuted out of the plane, leaving Lex in it. Lionel was in shock, and was in no hurry to get out of it. He looked up at the hospital sign, and sighed. The thought of the Kents and Clark re- entered his mind. Slowly, he entered the building.  
  
Pete walked down the hall, looking at the doors to the rooms. Martha's cry preceded the sight of the room. Pete looked to the floor and shook his head. Never in a thousand years did the Kents deserve this. When he looked up, he was in for an even bigger shock. Lionel Luthor, looking as if he hadn't slept in days, was at the window to the room, looking in upon Jonathan and Martha.  
"Hello, young Mr. Ross," Lionel said wearily, not looking at Pete.  
"Good afternoon, Mr. Luthor." Pete replied, as he stood next to Lionel at the window. "What brings you here?"  
"I was told by your friend Ms. Lang that the Kents were here. I heard of their losses, and wanted to come and see what I could do."  
"How.unlike you." Pete muttered. Even in this time of tragedy for the Kents and Lionel, Pete still could not help being rude to the man who had ruined his family's life.  
"Yes, as I was explaining to Ms. Lang, I have never been a comfort to anyone, but in my wanderings, I found myself outside the hospital." Lionel said, accepting Pete's comment.  
"I heard about Lex." He replied.  
"Yes, I believe the whole town has. And I know what they think. Believe what you will, young Mr. Ross, but I did not do this. I would never kill my own son." And maybe it was the sound in his voice, or the tear in his eye, but Pete, as an observant man, knew Lionel spoke the truth. And for a moment, Pete looked beyond the rightful hatred he held for Lionel, and saw a father, very worried about his son, as Jonathan as a father was very worried about Clark, and as his father would be if anything ever happened to him.  
  
So they stood there, a Luthor and a Ross, not fighting, not speaking; just standing and looking in at a couple who meant the world to them. Pete saw a man who was like a second father to him, the father of his best friend. He saw a woman who was like a second mother, always there to comfort Clark and him, when they were younger to talk to them and dry their tears, and when they grew older, to listen to them, and have faith in what they said. Lionel saw two forces in his life, the people who had saved his son all those years ago. He saw a man, who, for all the differences and hatred between them, was in a similar boat to him- both without their children. He saw a woman who had meant something to him, those months she was his assistant. She had grown more and more like his beloved Lillian each day to him, until that fateful day in Metropolis. A woman, who made him care a little more, made him, not a better man, but more of how he was years ago, when he still had Lillian beside him. And so the sworn enemies stood there together, and looked at Jonathan, silently weeping, holding Martha while she cried. A couple, who meant so much to many, who still had nothing in the world but each other, no son, and no baby, just each other.  
  
Lionel and Pete stood there for quite awhile; both absorbed in private thoughts. Then, Pete said,  
"I don't believe he has told her yet."  
"Told her what?" Lionel asked, knowing immediately what they were talking about.  
"That Clark ran away." Pete whispered. Lionel nodded, and looked ahead. Jonathan caught sight of them, whispered something to Martha, kissed her on the head, and went to the door. He quickly ushered Pete in, but stood and looked at Lionel.  
"Can we help you, Mr. Luthor?" Jonathan asked, inquisitively.  
"Mr. Kent, I heard of your loss through Ms. Lang. I too, have suffered this past night. You may not have heard, but Helen abandoned my son on a plane, and cut the power lines. He has probably died. Everyone in the town believes that I am responsible. I heard about your wife and you, and, I found myself outside the window." Lionel said. Jonathan nodded. Jonathan too, as a very observant man, saw that Lionel was speaking the truth that he did not cause the plane accident. Jonathan saw the same feeling in him that he felt himself; utter helplessness. No way to help the people that they loved, and the feeling of wanting to die.  
"Please, come in." Jonathan said gruffly, and held the door open for Lionel, who slowly shuffled in. 


	4. The Past

Martha's tearstained face looked up at Lionel as he entered the room.  
"Its all a smokescreen isn't it?" she whispered to him, quoting their first meeting months ago, her face breaking into a half smile, followed quickly by his. They both remembered the day in his garden, when Martha read to Lionel, discovered his stock market scheme, and in return was hired.  
"I'm glad you are here." She murmured, as he sat down on the bed and gave her a hug. Pete sat in the chair next to Jonathan, who stroked Martha's hand.  
"I assume you have heard of the loss of my son Lex?" Lionel said softly. Martha's eyes widened as she shook her head. Jonathan looked toward the floor, as Lionel explained what had happened.  
"Oh, Lionel!" she cried, putting her hand on top of his. "I am so sorry. This has been an awful two days for us," she turned and looked at Jonathan and Pete. "For all of us."  
"How lucky we all were, only a few short months ago, and we didn't even know it." Lionel said, "Before Helen, and this awful wedding." Martha graspd Lionel's hand more firmly, as Jonathan grasped her other. Pete looked on.  
  
"Mrs. Kent, if I may ask, how are you feeling?" he asked softly, hoping not to make her cry. She turned to look at him, not letting go of either man's hand. She looked at Pete and saw her son's best friend. The little boy whose tears she had dried when Clark accidentally smashed his toy train. The first, and only of Clark's friends to learn of his secret, early on in the year.  
"The doctors tell me I am fine. But, I lost my baby, and will never get pregnant again." She whispered, staring at the ground. She closed her eyes tightly, and began to silently weep. But, to Lionel's and Jonathan's surprise, it was Lionel's arms which she collapsed into. Lionel held her, not wanting her to fall, and alarmed, looked at Jonathan. But Jonathan did not seem upset he was only looking at his wife in angst and worry. Pete, fully embarrassed and somewhat ashamed by the answer to his question, and the following reaction, had crept out of the room unnoticed. Martha leaned back on Lionel's chest, and looked up at him. Weakly and wearily, she asked,  
"Lionel, did you hire me just to learn about Clark?" Jonathan instantly looked at her sharply. But she was looking at Lionel. Lionel looked down at her.  
  
"That was one of my reasons, Martha. But you grew to be so much more. You helped the company, and you helped me. You gave LuthorCorp a wonderful image when you convinced me to help the boy Byron. It was by the end of that day that I knew you were worth far more than information I could get out of you. You tried to protect me when he was going to kill me. I doubt any other assistant would have even lifted a finger. What's more is you helped me as a person. You became, like my dear late Lillian to me. When I was blind, and I didn't know what you looked like, my mind began to picture you as her. One of the joys of regaining my sight after I was shot was to learn that you did look very much like Lillian. The same hair, the same smile. The same unflinching honesty, I miss that. You made me how I was when I was with her, how I was when she lived. You made me remember that part of me who was the caring father, the generous business man." He glanced up at Jonathan, "Their was a time when I was those things." He returned his gaze to Martha. "You even made me remember those wonderful few days when I was a father to two sons, and we truly were a happy family.  
"You remind me of my past," she whispered. "Before I embarked on the wonderful adventure that was my life here; you remind me of Metropolis, and my family, and my life before Smallville. I love Smallville. But I love Metropolis too. I have always felt like I have had to choose between the two, and I have always chosen Smallville, with no regrets. But, when I met you, you reminded me of my life before. And you reminded me of all the opportunities I gave away to be here. I never minded giving it all up, and I would never trade my life now for what I could have had. But I would have liked to have both. You gave me that. I felt, for a while, that I didn't have to choose, and, that I had the best of both lives. And when I got pregnant," she smiled, "I truly did have the best of both lives."  
"You have been a reminder to me of what a good man I was before Julian's and Lillian's deaths. When you were around me, you became Lillian to me. And I thought, maybe, I could become that good man again. And I am sorry for it. I am sorry for making you into someone you were not. I am sorry for that day in Metropolis, and for trying to make you love me as I loved Lillian. I am sorry."  
"But I do love you, Lionel. I can never be Lillian Luthor, and you can never be my past opportunities. But I can be Martha Kent, and you can be you, Lionel Luthor. I understand you, Lionel. So, be Lionel for me; my employer, and good friend. And a friend to this family. We can't be each other's pasts, but you are welcome to be a part of this family's future. I love you, Lionel. We love you." Martha smiled, leaned back, and closed her eyes. Jonathan looked at Lionel, and Lionel looked a Jonathan. They continued, neither speaking, for quite some time. Soon, Lionel noticed that Martha's breathing had steadied, and her eyes were still closed. She had fallen asleep, with a smile on her face. Carefully, he lifted her up and laid her down on the bed. Jonathan got up, and they both put a blanket over her. Lionel leaned over, and kissed her lightly on the forehead.  
"Thank you." He whispered, "For everything"  
  
Lionel stood up, and looked at Jonathan.  
"I understand if you will not be as forgiving as your wife, Mr. Kent. I do not blame you. I tried to steal your world after all. First, the land of your friends, then your son's safety, lastly your wife." They both glanced at Martha, still sleeping soundly. "World stealing is not exactly a forgivable offense. I believe the ancient Greek Odysseus even executed for it." Lionel grimaced as he spoke.  
"It's all right. I understand." Jonathan said, as Lionel made his way to the door. "Please, come see us again, if not here than on the farm. You can be quite a comfort, Mr. Luthor. I mean it, come and visit us. Maybe you and Martha together can convince me about the wonders of Metropolis." He smiled at Lionel, and Lionel smiled back.  
  
Lionel looked at Martha one last time, and left. Jonathan sat down. He did understand, now. Lionel and Martha had left their pasts far behind them, and it hurt. For Jonathan, if he was aching for the good old days, all he had to do was talk to the people around town, they all knew of his glory in high school. But Martha and Lionel couldn't do that. Martha had severed all ties with her past in the city, and Lionel's wife and second son had died, leaving him only with Lex, who was probably dead too. If they ever missed it, they just had to sit and reminisce. No wonder when they found someone reminding them of their past, they felt as if they had it back. Because, it was like the past years for them were in a different world. Not in the center of town, like it was for Jonathan. Lionel and Martha could never go back again. And Jonathan finally understood that. He smiled, and turned to gaze at Martha, still smiling in her sleep.  
  
Author note- okay, tried to tie up some loose ends between Martha and Lionel, and tried to build a bridge for Lionel and Jonathan. It was an attempt to make them all understand the relationships. Martha, in her own way, will always love Lionel, and vice versa. Chloe is coming soon (maybe next ch.) and Jonathan gets up the strength to tell Martha that Clark is gone; possibly next ch., or ch. 6. Maybe more Lana? U tell me. Action will begin to be taken to get the sons home soon. Please R&R! 


	5. Watching and Learning

Chloe sat in the empty hospital room across from Martha's, and watched what her eyes could not believe. She had come to do a story on any victims of the power surge, and had not expected to find the Kents there. When she had, she crept into the empty room across the hall to see what was going on. Then things began to get interesting.  
  
She watched Pete and Lionel meet each other in the hall, and look into the window. She watched them enter the room, and how Jonathan let Lionel in. She could hear snippets of conversation, and knew basically what they were talking about. She watched Martha talk to Lionel, and begin to cry, and falling into his arms. She saw Pete slowly slink out of the room. She watched Jonathan look on, slowly accepting what was going on. Chloe watched Lionel talk to Martha, and Jonathan look on. She watched the two proud men stare at each other, thinking the same thoughts about the other, and Martha. She watched as Martha, unnoticed by the two men, slowly turned her head to the window, and looked straight at Chloe. Chloe watched Martha smile weakly at her, before turning her head the other way. She watched Lionel slowly pick her up as if she were a porcelain doll and put her gently down on the bed. She watched as Jonathan and Lionel both put a blanket over her. She watched Lionel kiss her softly on the head.  
  
Chloe watched the two men; rulers of separate worlds that had so inharmoniously collided, speak a few gentle words to each other, each accepting the other because it was the right thing to do, and more importantly, being what Martha would want them to do. She saw Lionel walk briskly down the hall, and Jonathan sink into a chair, gazing at his beloved wife.  
  
Chloe looked on, still in shock from the events in the past few days. First, Lana dating Clark and not telling her. Then the fight with Clark, next him running away. And now, Martha's loss of the baby that apparently only the Kents had known about. Chloe could understand the hesitation to make knowledge of Martha's pregnancy public, she had heard all about the Kents' inability to have a child. How awful this must be for them, the loss of the only chance they had to have their own baby. But, the reporter in her head wanted to know, why now? How could Martha suddenly be able to conceive and get pregnant now, after all these years of not being able to? And the reporter in her head had an answer, an answer very common in Smallville- the Meteor Rocks.  
  
But, the sensible Chloe in her argued the possibility. Martha had not been in Smallville the day of the meteor shower, she had been in Metropolis, with Jonathan, adopting Clark. Chloe's brief research of Clark's adoption had confirmed that fact. That was the day when the adoption papers said he had been picked up. And why would Metropolis United Charities lie? So, the answer to Martha's mystery couldn't have been the meteors. Something struck Chloe as odd about her last thought. Metropolis United Charities. Where had she seen that name before, outside the research of Clark, and the scarring encounter with Rachel DunLeavy? Somewhere, different. After a minute of thinking, it hit her. One day, during a meeting with Lionel, he had to step out for a minute to take a phone call.  
"No Snooping!" he had told her jokingly. And therefore, the journalist in her was peaked, and she did just that. Chloe hadn't gotten very far though; she was just looking in a filing cabinet for information on Clark, just to see what Lionel already knew. She found a file, label Metropolis United Charities(C.K/L.D). There was only one paper in it. The paper had only a few lines on it.  
  
DunLeavy-1985-illegitamite son- R. DunLeavy put away-location of boy unknown  
  
Clark Kent-1989-illegal adoption-Jonathan and Martha Kent, Smallville, KA  
  
The paper had no more information, so Chloe had hastily put it back, thinking that the charity was something he had funded and those were special cases he was interested in. But a new thought now entered her brain. What if he was the owner and creator of the charity? Chloe's eyes widened in excitement. Lionel Luthor had done Clark's adoption! But what had the Kents done for this? Chloe started to rapidly ask herself questions; why did they need Lionel to do the adoption? Where did they find Clark? And so on and so forth, then, it hit her.  
  
Lionel ran the agency, but Clark and the DunLeavy case were the only adoptions to ever take place! When she had researched, and sent out info on Clark, Rachel was the only one to respond because she was the only one who could respond! And that's how she was so sure that Clark was her son, because her son was the only one put into Lionel's sham of an agency, and Clark was the only one to ever come out of it! But it had been proven that Clark was not Rachel's son, Lucas was! But Lucas had never been adopted; he had been kept in secret in the agency. But if Rachel wasn't Clark's mother, then who was? And why did Lionel fake the adoption? Chloe smiled with glee. She had just figured out one of the Kent's biggest secrets, and now knew why Clark was so private about his adoption. This was the kind of thing that could ruin him, his family, and Lionel, if anyone ever found out. At least it would give them a lot of attention, which is what Clark never wanted. Chloe couldn't wait to tell Lionel. She would show him who now had the upper hand in their mysterious partnership. She glanced back at Martha and Jonathan and sobered. Martha was still asleep, and now it was Jonathan who was sobbing. She looked sadly on this pitiful site. Did she really want to hurt the Kent family anymore than it already was? Then she turned away and closed her eyes, and all her memories of Clark came rolling back into her brain. How he never forgave her for one bad thing she did. How he yelled at her when she was trying to help him. How he never even told her he was dating Lana. How He always took Lana's side, even when she was wrong. How Clark only cared about Lana and would even use Chloe to get to her. And finally, how Clark would, and did, sacrifice, and use their friendship as a tool to build his relationship with Lana.  
  
Chloe got up and left the room, unnoticed by the mourning Jonathan on the other side of the hall.  
  
Yes, she wanted to hurt them. 


	6. Heaven

Author's note- okay, w/ the last chapter, I guessed on the year Lucas was born. In this one, is Martha's mother still alive? I assumed not, along with both of Jonathan's parents. If any different, state it in a review.  
  
Martha fell in and out of consciousness. She saw Jonathan crying in the chair, which only made her even more sad. But, as she drifted off into her dreams, she became happy again.  
  
Martha was walking through a silver field. Behind her, Jonathan sat crying. But she did not go back to him; rather, she went further down the field. Cornstalks began to materialize once Jonathan was out of site. She walked among them, contentedly. Soon she came to a river, and across it she saw a group of people sitting among the grass. One quickly noticed her, and motioned to the others as she ran up to the bank of the river.  
  
"Martha! Come sit with us! We have so much to tell you!" said the first one to reach the bank. Martha recognized the voice as being similar to Nell, but prettier. Suddenly she remembered. It was Laura Lang, Lana's mother.  
"Yes, my dear, come across." A jovial young man's voice echoed through the air as he ran to stand next to Laura. This, she remembered was Lewis, Lana's father Slowly, another three figures came up to the edge. She recognized one instantly as her own mother.  
"Mom! I'm so happy to see you! There is so much I should tell you! She ran up to the very edge of her side of the river.  
"Martha, my dear, stay there for now, please. I am happy to see you too, sweetheart. I have been watching you, along with Jonathan's parents." Jonathan's parents came into view. Martha happily greeted them.  
"Oh Martha, come across! We have so much to talk about!" Laura cried happily, as Lewis nodded. "Tell me all about Smallville, and Lana, and Nell. I hope she was never too awful in trying to win Jonathan over. She was just jealous, and very regretful of her high school days. I can see them of course, but it's always better to be told. Besides, they are only on the horizon. They look so far away. You have come the closest. Come over to us!" Behind the chattering Laura, Martha could make out the sixth figure, taking the seventh by the hand, slowly rise and make their way over to the river.  
"But how do I come over?" Martha asked hastily. She desperately wanted to get over to her mother, Jonathan's parents, and Lana's parents. They had so much to talk about. Suddenly, she noticed a bundle in Lewis' arms. She asked him what it was.  
"Oh, silly me! This would have been our second child, if we had not died. Laura had found out she was pregnant the day of the meteor shower. When we came here, he came with us. Martha, meet Lawrence." Lewis showed her the baby, and he smiled and waved at her from across the river.  
  
"There is a bridge you can use to cross." Laura called. She pointed to Martha's right, where a stone bridge stood. Martha made her way toward it.  
"No! Do not use the bridge. Find a shallow part and wade across." The sixth figure called, as it slowly came into view. Martha obeyed, and was able to walk across with barely wetting her feet. She came to the other side and embraced her family and friends.  
"Oh Mom! I was so happy! I was going to have a baby of my very own! I was truly and honestly pregnant! Jonathan couldn't have been happier, and Clark was so pleased to learn he was going to be a big brother."  
  
Suddenly, she heard a child's laughter. She turned and saw a young boy running toward her. With a tear and a smile, she instantly knew who it was.  
"Ryan!" she cried as she got on her knees and gave the boy a big hug.  
"Mrs. Kent! I am so happy to see you! How are you? How is Clark? How is Mr. Kent? How is your job?" He looked around. "Are you telling them, telling them about your secret?" he asked excitedly. Martha smiled.  
"Yes Ryan, I am telling them about my secret. And you were right, Jonathan and Clark were so pleased when they found out. It really was good to share it." She smiled at him, then a look of concern crossed her face.  
"No, don't worry, I'm not very telepathic anymore. Sometimes people's thoughts just jump into my head and I say them without knowing. I finish a lot of people's sentences around here." He smiled. Martha grinned again and gave him another hug.  
'So, how is the baby?" he asked grinning. A shadow fell over Martha's face.  
"Ryan, I never had the baby. The day of Lex Luthor's wedding, Jonathan and I were driving home because we were worried about Clark. Clark was the best man and hadn't shown up. When we were heading toward the farm, a power surge came and hit us hard. Jonathan lost control of the truck, and it tumbled and flipped,"  
"Like in 1989, the day you found Clark." Ryan said.  
"Yes, like that. Only this time, there was no Clark to rescue us right away. I was slightly injured, and had a concussion. But, because of the impact my body had gone through, the baby had died."  
"But couldn't you just get another one?" Ryan asked. Martha noticed that Ryan was more carefree now, not as sad as before.  
"No, Ryan, honey, we couldn't," she said, sniffling. "Because Clark's spaceship was what healed my body so that I could carry a baby. But, Clark destroyed the ship, so that destroyed the healing. That first one was the only one we had, and we lost it." She began to cry.  
"Oh, Mrs. Kent, please don't cry." Ryan whined. "Tell us something wonderful, that you love. Like your job!" Martha smiled. Ryan turned to the others, who were now sitting comfortably on the grass, save the sixth.  
"Now, I was in the world much more recently than the rest of you, and when I was there, Mrs. Kent was working for a big company, as the boss's assistant. The five nodded attentively, while the sixth gazed at two bundles in her arms and looked out away from them with her back turned. Martha nodded at Ryan, who continued telling the story.  
"Now, Mr. Kent didn't like her working for the boss and neither did Clark. Clark didn't like it because the boss was mean to Lex, but Mr. Kent didn't like it because he hated her boss, and was always convinced he was up to no good. But Mrs. Kent liked and respected her boss. What was his name again Mrs. Kent? I forget, it was funny-sounding."  
"His name is Lionel Luthor, and I worked for Luthorcorp." Martha told Ryan and the group. The company name registered no look of hatred on their faces, as it did for the residents of the town, for Luthorcorp was past their time. But, the sixth mysterious person turned around at the name of Lionel Luthor, and Luthorcorp. She paid brisk attention to the little boy.  
"Well, we were in Lex's mansion, where Lionel also lived, and Martha had to go to his office, so I hung out with Lex. Now, Lex also thinks that Martha shouldn't be working for Lionel because he was afraid he was going to hurt her in some way, and hurt the Kents. Lionel is Lex's father. That's all I remember, about Martha anyway." Martha thanked the boy, and smiled as she sat down on the grass.  
"Yes, I did work for Luthorcorp for awhile. I quit though, after a trip to Metropolis." The group murmured concern.  
"But why dear? From what your little friend Ryan told us over his time here, and now, it seemed like the perfect job for you." Her mother asked.  
" When we were in Metropolis, Lionel gave me a watch. I was going to return it to him, but then people who had broken into Lionel's vault took us hostage. We got out okay, but I had forgotten to return the watch to Lionel. I hid it in my dresser because I didn't want Jonathan to find it but, he found it."  
"Tsk, tsk, do I want to know what my boy did next?" Jonathan's father asked. His mother nudged him, and smiled at Martha.  
"Once he found out who it was from, and saw the inscription, he smashed it. I had no idea. Lionel had been shot, and Jonathan was framed. The person framing Jonathan used the watch as evidence. Once Jonathan was freed, that ended my time as a Luthorcorp employee."  
  
They continued their chat about many different things, and people started to drift away. Ryan began to play with Lawrence, and the Langs moved on after hearing about Nell and Lana. Jonathan's parent's drifted away after hearing about their son and Clark. Soon the only people left in the circle were Martha's mother and the mysterious woman.  
"Martha, dear, come find me before you leave, but I must go now." Her mother said to her as she kissed her on the head and left. It was just Martha, the woman, and the two bundles she was carrying. "Martha, do you know who I am?" she asked.  
"I wish I did. It feels like I know you, but I can't put my finger on it." She admitted sheepishly. The lady handed her one of the bundles.  
"This is your baby. Your baby was going to be a girl. She was going to grow up and become a teacher. She would live in Grandville for awhile, but always be nearby, unlike Clark." Martha looked at the bundle, and at the baby's perfect face, and began to cry again.  
"But what will happen to Clark? Where will he go?' she asked.  
"Hush, you must leave this place, and quickly. This is heaven, but you are not supposed to be dead. You must leave soon, or you will sacrifice your life prematurely. Say goodbye to whom you must. They will only delay you on your journey. Look, the river is getting higher. You must leave! The woman's deep red hair shone in the light. Martha hastily got up, and holding the baby in her arms made her way to her mother and Ryan.  
"I must go now," she told them both. She embraced her mother one last time, and her mother nodded, and turned away. But Ryan would not let her leave.  
"Why do you have to go? Everything was so perfect." He cried.  
"Ryan, I must! But, don't worry, I will never forget you! And I will be back." With a tear, he let her go.  
  
Martha ran back to the woman, who brought her down on the riverbank.  
"You must go now." She said. Martha nodded,  
"But, who are you? Please tell me." she pleaded. The lady smiled.  
"My name is Lillian Luthor, and this is my son, Julian," she said, holding her bundle close, as she took Martha's baby away from her. Martha choked back a tear. "I believe you know my husband. Keep him safe and my son also. They know not what they do. Now go!" Lillian gave Martha a final hug, and pushed her to the water's edge. She slowly began to walk across. It was very high now, up to her neck, and it took all her might just to get to the middle. But she had no more strength.  
"Think of Jonathan, and Clark. Think of Lionel and Lex! Think of the living, to get yourself across!" Lillian hollered at her. With the thought of her beloved husband, and her beloved friends, she made her way across.  
"Now, Martha, listen. Run back the way you came. Do not stop running until you can see Jonathan in the chair. Godspeed. I will see you soon. Remember what I told you about Lionel and Lex. Forgive them. They know not what they do." Lillian called. Martha gave one last look over to her mother, Ryan, and Lillian. Then she began to run. She did not look back, and kept running and running. She finally reached Jonathan in the chair.  
"Jonathan!" she cried, "Jonathan!"  
  
Martha awoke with a start, and saw that she was in a different room, and hooked up to a whole lot of machines.  
"Jonathan." She rasped. She saw him outside the door, and he saw her. He rushed in, and grasped her hand.  
"Oh Martha!" he said, kissing her hand tenderly, "you almost died. You were asleep, and you almost died, and," he began to cry uncontrollably, "Oh God, I cannot lose you too. Please, I can't lose you too!" Martha smiled and held his hand.  
"I love you Jonathan. I'm not going anywhere." She said, smiling. Then, she closed her eyes and slept, with Jonathan still at the side of the bed, grasping her hand, sobbing. 


	7. Realization and Homecoming

Lex woke up with a start, and instantly looked around. He was on a beach, in his wedding tux, with a few parts of the plane around him. He tried to stand up and cried in pain. Both his legs were broken. He collapsed and cried some more. Not only for the pain in his legs, but the pain in his heart. He knew what had happened to him. Helen was a trap, planted by someone, and then tried to kill him. He then went through in his head who would try to do this to him. He thought of his father, but quickly eliminated him. Lex knew that in his own way, his father loved him. Besides, why would he kill Lex, with Lex being the only heir to the company. Lucas was no heir, only a fluke in his father's plan of life. Lucas was an error, a wrong move. And wrong moves do not inherit multi- million dollar companies. He sat up on the sand, trying not to move his legs, and looked around him. No money, no wallets. The remains of a plane seat. A broken champagne bottle. Lex felt in his pocket and pulled out the compass from Jonathan. Miraculously, it seemed unharmed. He closed his eyes and sighed, and fell asleep again.  
  
Martha was sitting in a chair in her hospital room. It had been two days since her brush with death, and she was anxious to leave the hospital. As she had told Jonathan, too many bad things had taken place here; the death of Ryan, the death of her baby, nearly the death of her. She just needed to get home. It had been a tearful two days, and going home, she thought, would lift her spirits. Jonathan was not so sure. But, all he wanted was for Martha to be happy again, and he could refuse her nothing. So, he too, was anxious for her to leave the hospital. They sat in the chairs in silence.  
"Martha," Jonathan began, "There is something I have to tell you. The day of the accident, when you were in the hospital room, Clark came to see us. I, was very upset, and very scared, and, wasn't that kind to him."  
"Oh Jonathan," she gasped, "You didn't make him feel guilty about the baby?"  
"No, no. Once I had yelled at him, for hurting you, the doctor came out and said that you were okay, but we had lost the baby. I couldn't look at Clark after that. I came into the room, and left him there."  
"Oh Jonathan." She murmured.  
"Later that night, Lana came to see me. She said that Clark was terribly upset, and had run away, wearing one of the red Kryptonite rings. He had not returned, and was headed toward Metropolis. Martha, I'm so sorry." Martha promptly began to cry again. Jonathan sighed. It killed him to see Martha so sad.  
"In my heart, I knew that he had left, but, I didn't want to believe it. Oh Jonathan, what are we going to do?" she said through sobs. A nurse then entered the room.  
"Well, I think I have some good news for you, Mr. and Mrs. Kent. You are now free to go home."  
  
Lionel and Lana were waiting for them at the farm when they drove up. Jonathan saw them and smiled. When he helped Martha out of the truck, she smiled a bit too, the first smile in days.  
"Welcome home Martha! We are all so happy you are back from the hospital." Lionel said happily as he walked to her side. "And welcome home Jonathan, we are all so happy you are done camping out at the hospital." Jonathan flashed them all a grin.  
"This is so nice of you two! You really didn't have to do this!"  
"Yes, well I was getting what is becoming my regular morning coffee at the Talon, and heard that today you were coming home from the hospital. So, I employed the help of Ms. Lang here, and we brought over lemonade, and all the coffee you can drink!" He smiled at Martha and Jonathan, but he was crying inside. Nothing had been heard about Lex, and Lionel was beginning to think and accept that his son was truly dead. What worried him more was that he had no idea who would have done this.  
"I also brought over some meals, all you have to do is heat them up. I know you might not feel like cooking for awhile. Mind you, Chloe and I made them, so you have been forewarned!" Lana said. The Kents laughed, bringing Lionel out of his deep thoughts.  
"Thank you both, so much." Martha said, and she invited them both inside. The five of them entered the house, and talked for awhile. Jonathan heated up one of the meals, and tried it, then declaring that Lana's warning was unnecessary, the food was delicious. He was however, quick to wrap it up, and put it in the back of the refrigerator. The five of them talked about things, carefully avoiding any topics that might upset one of them. Unfortunately, that left them with little things to talk about. The conversation mainly revolved around Lana's year in school, which was hard, because she couldn't mention Clark, and Lionel's business dealings, which was hard because it was just plain boring. But soon Lana had to go back to the Talon, and Jonathan had to go check on the fields, leaving just Lionel and Martha, sitting on the porch, sipping lemonade.  
  
"I'm sorry everything had to turn out like this." Lionel said. Martha nodded, and knew what he was thinking.  
"Lionel, the day you visited, what happened? I remember a little, but not much." She asked. The memory of that day had been plaguing her since she had awoken from her dream. "I only remember falling asleep in your arms, knowing everything between you and Jonathan and I was going to be okay. The rest, is hazy, there, but not quite reachable."  
"Well, Pete Ross was there, he and I were at the window watching you and Jonathan. Jonathan caught sight of us and let us in. We all talked for awhile, and then you started to cry. You, fell into my arms, and, uh, asked me about when you worked for me. After we talked, you lay there, and, uh well, Jonathan and I just looked at each other. Then, I had realized you had fallen asleep, and we laid you on the bed, talked for a minute, and I left." He replied. Martha nodded. Suddenly, she could remember it all.  
"Lionel, when I fell asleep that day, I had a very real dream. I mean, it felt very very real. I was in a field, walking away from Jonathan. I came to a river, and across it were all the people from my life who had died. My mother, Jonathan's parents, and Ryan were there. I crossed, and spent what felt like a day with them. I got to hold my baby. My baby was going to be a girl. But, the lady who gave me my baby told me I had to leave that place, because it was heaven, and I was not supposed to be dead. She ushered me back across the river, before it got too high."  
"Do you believe that the place was heaven?" Lionel asked.  
"Yes, I do. I woke up, and I had apparently almost died. But, the dream seemed so real and peaceful; I almost wanted to go back. All my friends were there, my mom, the Langs, Jonathan's parents, and Ryan. And the lady who had me go back before I died of course. I almost want to return to them."  
"Who was the lady? Did she tell you her name?" Lionel asked. Martha smiled, and nodded.  
"That is why I am telling you this. Right before I left, she told me her name." Lionel nodded eagerly; he was very interested in heaven, and Martha's experience. Martha smiled at him.  
"She said that her name was Lillian Luthor, and that she and her son Julian were there." The look on Lionel's face was unexplainable, somewhere between joy, sadness and utter disbelief. "She said to look over you and Lex, and I could tell that she loved you, very much. Lionel frowned and turned away.  
"Well, if its true that the dead can watch the living, I highly doubt that." He muttered. He looked directly at Martha. "I never forgave myself for having an affair with Rachel DunLeavy when Lillian was ill. I acted like I didn't care, but I did. Getting her pregnant was one of the worst mistakes of my life. It is terrible, I know, to call Lucas a mistake, but he is."  
"I think she knew all that, and I think Lillian still loves you. I know she always will." Martha said, and smiled at Lionel. Lionel was contented by her happiness. But the shuddering thought of Rachel and Lucas remained in his head.  
"I know I should have done something different with that boy. I couldn't let him get adopted; Rachel would have found him, and would have come after me."  
"But she did come after you and Lex, when she was here about Clark." Martha reminded him.  
"Yes, yes, I can remember. And you saw how that turned out. But what Lucas turned out to be was so much worse than what Rachel could have turned him into, or so I think. He ganged up with Lex to teach me a lesson, but he had turned his back on Lex and myself many times over that period. Lex keeps him hidden away somewhere, safe and sound, and probably very well funded. But he would probably turn on Lex in an instant if he thought it could help him," Lionel stopped suddenly, and looked up. "Martha," he said slowly, "I think I know who killed Lex."  
  
Author's note- the hunt is on! More Chloe, and Lex coming soon. 


	8. Heaven's Council

In heaven, the 7 watched the events of Smallville and their loved ones with great anxiousness. The parents of Jonathan could hardly see horizon where this all took place in the sky. Neither could Lewis. Lewis could not see after Lana found out that he wasn't her father. Lana still loved him, but he had lost that place in her heart, therefore losing his sight of her. Jonathan's parents could see events with Jonathan, and Martha, and sometimes Clark, but never meeting him hindered the vision. They loved him, as Lewis did Lana, but they could not see him because he never knew them. Martha's mother could see her daughter clearly, and the people and places around her. The bond between them was strong, so strong that she could sometimes even feel Martha's emotions and thoughts. Ryan could see everyone, especially the Kents and Lex. Lillian, being the sort of person who has people's respect and love, along with her love and intelligence, could see the most clearly out of them all. Her one limitation was that she could only see people who were connected to Lionel or Lex.  
  
The residents of that heaven often didn't watch the living. They did nonstop after they arrived, but soon grew bored of the activity and drifted away. They would view sometimes, when they could feel that something was going to happen, but besides that, the dead did not watch the living. However, after Martha's visit to the Field, to heaven, there was an exception to that common practice. The 7 watched, and waited, and pestered each other to no end about what they thought could happen, what had happened in the past, and what their loved ones were going to do about it. Most of all, they questioned Lillian, and Martha's mother, the 2 who could see their visitor most clearly. They watched, and learned of Martha's near- death, Jonathan's worry and anguish, and her homecoming. Laura quickly and excitedly told Lewis everything Lana was doing, and Lillian felt Lionel's pain. They saw Lionel and Martha talk, and Lillian felt Lionel's guilt. They watched Lionel's sudden realization of the murderer.  
Lucas Lillian sighed and sat down. How were they doing to solve that crisis? Then from behind her, deeper into another part of heaven, she saw a person approaching.  
"Lillian! Lillian Luthor!" The person called. Lillian ran off to meet them. When she came back to the serene group, she had a stony, determined look upon her face.  
"Lex is coming. But we cannot let him enter. He is not going to die. I forbid it. I must not be seen, or he will cross. Try to scare him away. Keep him away from the river and the bridge. Do not let him cross the river like you did Martha. Keep him away!" she called as she ran back into the fields, so that Lex could not see her, but she could see him. She watched, painfully, as her son limped up to the field, and begged the dead for a drink from their river; which they had to refuse him. But she could hear him cry out to them.  
"Please! I have wandered very far. My brother, half-brother, tried to kill me. My father, he doesn't care. No one cares. The only person who ever did was my mother, and she is dead. Please, just let me lie here for a while and drink, or come across. The grass one your side is so much softer. Please, please!" But, as they promised to her, refused her son all of his requests and sent him away, back in the direction he came from. Lillian tried very hard not to cry, but she could not stop it. Once Lex was gone, she re-entered the field that the 7 resided in. They watched her with great interest, and Ryan walked up to her. Lillian sat down, and the 6 others congregated around her. Then, she told them her story. Lillian had never been a very open person, and her 6 companions in heaven had never learned why she was there. They knew her name and who she was, about her sons and all, but the Luthor name bore no influence on them, Lionel's takeover of Smallville was after their time, and they hardly ever watched the living to see what was going on. When Ryan arrived, it was different. He knew the Luthor family, and their intertwinements with the Kents, whom he treasured. Lillian learned from him, and once he came, began to watch the living more often. But she sat there, sobbing, and with the help of Ryan began to tell her story; her love for Lionel, Lex and Julian, her illness, Lionel's betrayal, and lastly, her death. By the end off the tale, all in the field had tears in their eyes, and shared in Lillian's pain. She looked at the horizon and the living bleakly. Lionel was in his study, pacing. He stopped at a photo of Lillian and himself, on a cruise ship, smiling and having the time of their lives. Lillian recognized the photo from the celebration trip they took when she told him she was pregnant with Lex. Lionel stared emptily at the photo, turned away and cried. Lillian's heart ached for him. Lillian saw Martha rise from her bed where Jonathan was sleeping, and cast a sad glance at him. She walked to the kitchen and poured a glass of water. She saw the quilt she had gotten out of the attic for the baby, and held it close to her. Soon, she began to sob, and dropped the glass. It shattered. She knelt down, and leaned against the kitchen cabinet, her head in her hands. Lillian was truly saddened by the image. She heard a soft cry from the background, and knew that it was Martha's mother, crying also. How hard it must be for her to see her daughter suffer, and have no way to help her. Laura and Lewis were off to the side, also watching the sky. Laura saw her daughter lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, tears falling down her face. She told this all to Lewis, who was holding Lawrence. Lewis tried to hold back his emotions. How he wanted to see his daughter, even though she was not his daughter anymore. How very much he wanted to go to her, and help her through this time, and pick up the pieces of the shattered perfect image of the parents she never knew. He wanted to repair her perfect memory, and explain, explain it all to his little girl. But that could never be. He didn't mind being found out. He didn't mind her getting to know Henry Small. What he minded, what broke his heart and made him want to scream was how Henry had left her, his daughter, for the acceptance of a wife who obviously did not love him. He was proud of Lana for letting Henry go, but his heart ached for her, another parent lost. Ryan watched them all, and everything of the living. Poor Ryan, unable to help those who had helped him so much.  
"How can we fix it? How can we fix these people, our loved ones?" he asked anxiously. But there was no immediate reply.  
"We can't honey." Lillian answered through a tearstained face, having just watched her son wake up and crawl through burning hot sand, his legs still broken, to try to find help. "We can't help them. We can only watch and pray." Ryan looked around avidly.  
"But Clark can!" he said. 


	9. Hurt, Wonderwall and a newspaper article

Clark woke up from sleeping off the side of the highway. He was got up, yawning. His abilities had never been more tested than in the last few days. He had rode, without rest, on and on and on, taking instructions from Jor-el, who had somehow withstood the destruction of the ship. He returned to his bike, hidden in the bushes. Jonathan's bike, he thought, my father's bike. But Clark's true feelings were silenced by the power of the red ring, the power that Jor-el was calling his son. Clark had tried for days to get back to home, but it was useless. The red ring, Kal-el, was in control. And Kal-el was controlled by Jor-el's commands. Kal-el firmly pushed Clark back into his subconscious, and the thought of Jonathan receded with him. Clark had learned how to fight Kal-el and his father. He did this by bringing up thoughts of his own family abruptly throughout the days. Because Clark was a strong person, and was so buried in emotions, he was able to shock and catch his captors off-guard. Jor-el and Kal-el did not feel emotion. Clark would ask them questions though, and they would answer some.  
"Why didn't you come after me when I had the red ring on before?" he asked.  
"Because your time in Smallville was not finished yet. You were still in what you call school, and I had not yet provided for your family as I should have." Jor-el replied placidly.  
"Meaning you hadn't healed my mom."  
"That was one of the reasons, yes. I healed her so that she could have a child to replace you. She was an excellent mother, much like your true mother."  
"Martha Kent is my true mother!" Clark silently yelled in Jor-el's mind.  
"No, she is not. Besides, you have hurt her greatly. She loves you very much. And then, you go off and kill the one she loves just as much. That unborn baby was all she would have after you left. And now, she doesn't even have that." Clark fought to reply, but Kal-el restrained him with his mind. " She almost died, you know. After the accident, the day after you left. My sense is she entered the otherworld of the humans, but was pushed back somehow. My spirit watched her, when Jonathan was talking to doctors. She kept saying words like, baby, daughter, Ryan, and mom and repeatedly, Luthor, Lillian. I do wonder what those words mean." Clark knew their true significance, but kept his thoughts hidden. Kal-el and Jor-el could not read his thoughts that he did not want read, just those that he opened to them and pushed upon them.  
"Show me." He said hoarsely.  
"Show you what?" asked Jor-el.  
"Show me my parents, what they have been doing."  
"Alright, I will. But you will not like it. Kal-el, restrain him." Clark at once felt a tighter guard on the body that was once his. Kal-el controlled Clark's body and his mind, but the true Clark was in the head of Jor-el and Kal-el. Whether they wanted him there or not.  
"I shall begin." Jor-el said. And so he did. Clark suddenly got a collage of images, all flashing through his head, of his parents crying, Martha dying with Jonathan by her bedside. Lionel in grief beyond words, looking dazed at a photo of himself and his beloved Lillian. Lex, tears streaming down his face, as he crawled up the beach where his ship had laid him. Lana crying in the back room whenever she had a break, and Chloe, Chloe just, existing, and turning her knowledge of him against him, in hatred. Clark felt Kal-el flinch, he suddenly realized that he could feel the images too, and they disturbed him. The hold on him momentarily was gone. Clark knew what he had to do. Screaming, he stuck his hand in the engine of the running bike. Jor-el screamed, but it was too late, the gears in the motorbike had worked the ring loose. Clark, now fully in control of his body, pulled his hand out and hopped on the bike and began to return where he had come from, back to Smallville. And there was nothing Jor-El, or the now defeated Kal-el could do about it.  
  
Martha awoke and momentarily did not know where she was. Then she remembered. Jonathan had found her last night, and they had sat on the kitchen floor together. He had carried her into the living room, where she had fallen asleep on the couch. She looked to the floor, where Jonathan was laying, looking right back up at her. He quickly got to his feet, and rushed into the kitchen. He came out with fresh pancakes, and put them on the coffee table. They shared breakfast together, just smiling and mulling over the early days of their marriage. Jonathan was beginning to be hopefully optimistic. Maybe, maybe, after a long time, this would be all right again. Clark would come home, and Martha would really be happy again. And the family would be all right. Jonathan excused himself to go get the morning paper. It was raining heavily outside, but he did not care. He glanced at the first-page and his hands began to shake. He returned to the house, and put the paper on the table in front of Martha. He joined her on the couch. She looked at it, and could not breath. The headline read; Smallville is more than it seems, meteor rocks live on; a high-school reporter speaks out. The article went on to talk about all the odd events of Smallville, and how they were all meteor-related. About Earl Jenkins, and Desiree Luthor, and Emily, the meteor clone. About Greg, and the boys from the softball team; even about Lex Luthor. And lastly, about Clark.  
.Clark Kent, Mystery boy, may not longer be a mystery to all. It is this reporter's opinion that meteor rocks affect him also. We have all seen at least one heroic act of Clark over the past two years, and we are all very grateful. However, the mystery part comes in on how he is able to perform these rescues. Granted, he almost always knows the people in trouble; his friendship with Lex Luthor may have contributed to this, but how does he do it? Recent rescues of the year have included saving Lex from an enraged, insane, Rachel DunLeavy, finding and stopping the man who was attempting to murder Lionel Luthor, rescueing both myself and Lana Lang from being thrown off a bridge, and rescueing Lana once she was thrown into a raging river. These and others are just a few of what we can consider normal from Clark Kent. But despite these heroic tales, Clark is also known to have a dark side. Just ask Lana Lang, Pete Ross, or myself, and we can all tell you tales of when Clark left his good morals far behind him on the farm.  
  
The story went on to talk more about "evil Clark" and then onto other possibly meteor affected residents of Smallville. At the bottom, it was signed, By Chloe Sullivan, Editor of the Smallville Torch  
  
She left the room without speaking. Jonathan followed her, trying to think of what to say. She did not look at him. She entered their room, shutting the door behind her. Jonathan heard the lock click. Sighing, he turned around and went downstairs, unsure of what to do. However, his answer was provided for him when he answered the phone.  
"Jonathan? This is Lionel Luthor. I assume you have seen the Smallville Torch." Lionel said once Jonathan had said hello. He quickly continued. "This is rather problematic. Please, if I could meet with you and Martha today, any time,"  
"You and I are welcome to meet, Lionel. Martha, she, did not take the article well. She has locked herself in our room."  
"I see. This is very problematic. You see, Chloe Sullivan was hired by me too." Martha listened to her husband's footsteps as he paced around. She heard a few words of the conversation, snippets here and there, but nothing she could draw a connection from. She didn't want to think. The article kept ringing out in her mind, what the public now knew about Clark, what Chloe had known about Clark. And one thought continued to ring in her head. What had Clark done to anger Chloe to write this? And what was she going to write next? Martha knew Chloe had been there the day after the accident, and no one else did. But why did she wait there? Why did she watch them for an hour on end? Chloe was very smart, if she knew bits and pieces of Clark's mysteries, what had she put together on her own? And what was she willing to share? Martha did not want to think of it. She sighed, and got out a faded book from her closet. It was the book she assembled of pictures of Clark, a baby book of sorts, but it went from when they found him to recently. She flipped through the pages, reminiscing about her little boy. She didn't hear Jonathan walk up the stairs, but she did hear him knock on the door. Reality came back to her like a slap in the face.  
"Martha?" he called. She did not respond, just cried. He could hear her outside the door, and began to tear also. "I'm, I'm going to meet Lionel Luthor. He has some information and advice about the situation." Again, no response. "I'm going to the Talon to meet him, or to the mansion. I'll be home as soon as I can." He paused outside the door. "Martha, talk to me, please. I love you" he rasped the last sentence, it was buried in tears. He listened, and knew that she was leaning against the door. "I love you. I will be home soon." Defeated, he turned away and walked down the hall.  
"I love you too." She whispered, knowing he probably didn't hear. But he did  
  
About an hour after Jonathan left, Martha knew what she had to do. Pulling on a hooded sweatshirt (she didn't particularly want to be recognized.) and warm sweatpants (Jonathan would freak out with worry if he thought she was chilled), she left her house. She drove to the Beanery, where she ordered a coffee and looked around. There, she saw her reason for leaving the comforting silence of her room, and the reason all this was happening. Chloe Sullivan was sitting by herself at a table, drinking a coffee and typing furiously on her laptop. Martha went and sat across from her.  
"Hello Chloe." She said. Chloe slowly looked up. She knew who it was from the first word.  
"Hello Mrs. Kent. I am surprised to find you at the Beanery. Wouldn't you have a Talon discount by now?"  
"I came to talk to you. I know of your coffee addiction, and I highly doubted you would be at the Talon, around my husband, Mr. Luthor and Lana Lang."  
"Too true, too true," Chloe mused. It scared Martha to realize how much like Lionel she had become, before Lionel had changed of course. "So, what do you need to talk to me about? I assume the article I wrote for the Ledger. I am surprised it made first page, surprised yet very flattered."  
"Why did you write it?" Martha asked her plainly. Chloe looked up sharply.  
"Plain and simple Mrs. Kent. It was a story, and I knew stuff about it, that needed to be shared with the public. I've known all this stuff since I came to Smallville. And now I can share it. It's a fascinating and enticing opportunity. It's a start, it's a multi-part article you know."  
"Do you still care about Clark?" Chloe looked up again.  
"No. You never knew, but he hurt me."  
"I'm sure he didn't mean to."  
"Yes, his neglect to mean, or care about anything is well known. And, by the way, what does Lionel Luthor have to do with Clark's adoption?"  
"I, I can't tell you." She stuttered, caught off-guard at Chloe's knowledge.  
"Tsk, tsk, another Kent with secrets. And we know you have secrets. At least you don't bring them up like your son. You keep them from your entire family, for a while at least. Your baby, things like that. Only Ryan may have known them all. But, as with many people in Smallville, Ryan died after learning a Kent secret." Wonder wall, by Oasis, began to play softly on the Beanery speakers. Chloe rose and shut her laptop.  
"Mrs. Kent, I must go, but I hope you are well." She said as she walked toward the door. Martha followed her outside.  
"Chloe, please. Why do you want to hurt Clark?"  
"Because he hurt me," Chloe said, turning on her heel to face her, "he really, really hurt me. I can't forgive him, my god; I can't even talk to him. All I can do is hurt him. It's cruel, but so is your son." Martha flinched; the mother in her crying out at the names her son was being called. Chloe had turned and was walking away. She called out weakly,  
"Chloe, please. I'm sorry for what he did to you. But please, don't hurt Clark. This family cannot bear any more pain; I can't lose both of my children. Please, don't hurt him." Chloe turned her head and looked at Martha. In the dim light, she could see what looked like regret on Chloe's face.  
"Too Late." Chloe said softly. She then turned and walked out into the darkness. Martha slowly returned to her car. She turned on the radio, which was playing Wonder wall.  
  
.Today was gonna be the day, but they'll never throw it back to you  
By now, you should have somehow realized what your not to do.  
  
...And maybe, maybe, your gonna be the one to save me, save me  
'Cause after all, you're my Wonder wall. Martha silently drove off; pondering what life would have been if Clark had been more sensitive to Chloe's feelings, or if Chloe had not been there at all. 


	10. Pain and banishment

Later that night, Martha had locked herself again in her room, and would not speak. Jonathan had returned after Martha and didn't know she had gone to the Beanery. He sat against the door in the hall. Martha too sat against the door. He talked to her, telling her what Lionel had admitted; that he had employed Chloe to research Clark. Then, he told her little random things, stories of growing up in Smallville. Then they sat in silence, each thinking the same thoughts. Jonathan got up to get a drink. Martha heard him leave. She unlocked the door, got into bed and went to sleep.  
  
Jonathan walked upstairs, and opened his door, happy that it was unlocked. He watched Martha sleep in silence. Jonathan sighed and went into their adjoining bathroom. He stared at himself wearily in the mirror, grasping the table. It was all his fault. If he hadn't yelled at Clark, Clark would still be here, and would have been able to calm Chloe, and be a comfort to his mother. But then again, he thought, if Jonathan had not lost control of the truck, Martha wouldn't need to be comforted, and their lives would be normal. It was his fault. Jonathan glanced out the open door to Martha. It wouldn't be long until she realized his guilt, he thought; it wouldn't be long until he lost her too. Jonathan stared at his changed face in the mirror. He could not stand it. He threw his head into the glass, shattering it and cutting him. This woke Martha up. She saw Jonathan's weak body on the floor and cried and screamed. She ran over to him and tried to get him up.  
"Jonathan! Jonathan! Wake up baby, wake up! Please, don't do this. I love you, I'm sorry. I am horrible, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, oh god its all my fault!" her frantic cries ripped through the silence. Jonathan stirred slowly. Martha continued to hug him and cry.  
  
Lex was exhausted. He could not move anymore. He had crawled with his arms across the sand from dawn until dusk. He lay defeated on the sand, falling in and out of consciousness. He felt something approaching him. Thinking it was an animal coming to finish him off, he was completely silent. But, he could see a pair of human feet. He raised his head to see a boy. Once realizing that he was alive, the boy ran off calling in his language. A minute later, men came, picked Lex up and carried him to safety. Lex wanted to say thanks, but couldn't speak at all. He fainted.  
  
Clark looked at the bike and sighed. It was completely out of gas and he was not far on his way to Smallville. However, he was almost in Metropolis. He shrugged; he would spend some days in the city, call his parents and look for Chloe, he thought she had an internship at the planet again. He needed sometime to recuperate, and he wanted to re-approach his parents at a distance, not just drop in at the house again. He left the bike and began to run toward the city.  
  
Martha had woken Jonathan, bandaged his head, and got him too bed. They both fell asleep quickly. But when Martha woke up the next morning, she was surprised to see how late it was and that Jonathan was not there. She got out of bed and heard Jonathan talking to someone downstairs.  
"Thank you, Mr. Clark, for coming." he said. But Martha could not believe her ears. Jonathan and her father hated each other, why would Jonathan have invited him here. She rushed down the stairs, looking for answers. And there they were, at the kitchen table.  
"Dad?" she asked. Her father looked up.  
"Martha!" he rose and bounded toward her. "I miss very much my dear!" he said, giving her a warm hug.  
"I'm so happy to see you too Dad! But, what are you doing here?" Martha asked. Instantly, as her father paused and looked at Jonathan, she knew something was wrong.  
"What's going on? Dad, Jonathan? What aren't you telling me?' she looked to each of them in turn. Jonathan looked ashamed and depressed. Her father just looked sad.  
"Martha, Jonathan called me very early in the morning. He told me what had happened last night. He asked me to come here." Mr. Clark began, but Martha cut him off.  
"Jonathan, it was sweet of you to call my father, and dad it was nice of you to come out here, but it really isn't necessary. We have it under control. She strode over to the table and grasped Jonathan's arm. But he would not look her in the eye. Mr. Clark glanced at Jonathan, sighed and continued.  
"Martha, he asked me to come here and take you with me, to Metropolis. He is worried that something like last night will happen again, and you will not be able to help him. He wants you to go to Metropolis with me, for at least a little while, until we can figure this all out. Please, don't be upset."  
"Jonathan?" she asked, looking at him, "why do you want this?"  
"I don't want you to get hurt Martha!" He said fiercely. He was crying though, and Martha noticed.  
  
After much arguing, Mr. Clark finally convinced Martha to come to Metropolis with him. They packed her a small bag (Martha claimed it was all she would need since she was not staying long; her father said they could buy her things there) and left the house. Jonathan ran out after them and kissed Martha warmly on the lips goodbye. Mr. Clark tried to retain his annoyance. They walked down the driveway, and Martha looked at her father.  
"Where is the car?"  
"I thought, to cheer you up, we could bring company to Metropolis with you. You would be bored and complain otherwise."  
"Dad, you are not buying me a dog to make me happy. I am not 10 years old anymore." She said crossly. She was going to inform him of other things that had changed since that time, but her voice was drowned out by intense noise. Martha recognized it as the sound of a helicopter, but the only person who had a chopper in Smallville was Lionel Luthor.  
  
The helicopter landed, and Lionel Luthor walked out in all his glory.  
"Hello Martha, Mr. Clark." He greeted them. "My dear, your father talked to me and told me you would be taking a trip to Metropolis, and was wondering if anything would make you more willing to go. I happen to have to go to the city for business. I will give you a chopper ride, and we will spend time in the city together, if you wish and your father permits." Martha looked at him inquisitively. He bent down and whispered in her ear.  
"I got an SOS from your husband at 5 am this morning begging me to go with you, thinking that you would try to run back here unless you were properly entertained. I owe you all so many favors, I could not refuse." He smiled at her, hoping and praying that she would smile back. Lionel's pilot helped Mr. Clark into the plane, and Lionel gestured toward the it. "After you." He said graciously. Martha smiled back as she ascended the stairs into the plane. 


	11. A flashback and a phone call

Martha stared moodily out of the window. As pleased as she was that Lionel was coming with her to Metropolis, she still did not want to go and was angry both at her father and Jonathan for making her leave. She couldn't leave Jonathan, not at a time like this. She looked around the chopper. It seemed larger than what she remembered flying to Metropolis in with Lionel during the year. Her father was talking to Lionel. She returned to the window. Martha thought and worried about Clark, and Chloe, and Lana. What would Lana think, once she found that Martha had left? What would Chloe write in her next article, and did Martha help stop her or only fuel her hatred more? And where was Clark? She shivered to think of what they were all going through. Unnoticed, Lionel came up behind her. He knew she was thinking about Clark and Jonathan.  
"Don't worry, everything is going to be fine." He told her. Inside, he wasn't so sure. But he knew the reason for this trip. In Lionel's mind, it was much simpler just to think of things in business terms. The purpose of this trip was to keep Martha's mind off things in Smallville, and to keep her and her father entertained in Metropolis. Martha turned and looked at him, and Lionel knew in an instant that thinking in business terms was never going to work with Martha Kent.  
"I should not have left them all." She murmured as she turned to face him. "It was a selfish mistake."  
"It was for the best. You know Jonathan would not force you into anything unless it was for your own good."  
"He may have needed me to leave, but the others, they need me to stay more than anything. They need me Lionel." She said to him firmly.  
"Relax, its what Jonathan wants. You have recuperated from the accident, now you need to recover. You are going to your father's flat for awhile." Martha groaned inwardly. Her father lived on the top floor of a ritzy apartment building. He had moved there after Martha had married Jonathan. " I know you don't like it. But I will come and visit you everyday. I'll even come over tonight and keep you company, and we can begin the quest to eat at every good place in Metropolis. She smiled at him slightly, and then looked embarrassed for smiling. "It's going to be fine Martha." He wished he were as sure as he sounded.  
  
And the first night was. When Martha went with her father, she was expecting the worst, but was pleasantly surprised to find that her room was an image of her childhood. 2 weeks ago, the fact would have annoyed her, but right now it was a great comfort. She walked over to her father and gave him a big hug.  
"You like it?" he asked.  
"Daddy, I love it. I know I'm being annoying about all this, but thank you." Her father smiled at her, and was truly pleased how happy she was, but in the back of his head, he could not help thinking of all the years of smiles and happy moments he had missed.  
  
Lionel came over later that evening and took them out to dinner. Martha began to remember life in Metropolis. It had been awhile since she was used to city living, but the skills were coming back. They had a great time at dinner, and afterward, Lionel was invited back to their apartment for champagne. 3 hours later, Mr. Clark had gone to bed but his daughter and Lionel could not run out of things to talk about. Martha stared out the window to the busy city streets.  
"Isn't Metropolis beautiful, in its own way?" he asked.  
"It is. I had forgotten that." She replied. "You know, there was a time when I thought Lionel Luthor could find beauty in nothing besides money and his company. But I was wrong." Lionel shuddered. The statement had caused a flashback in his mind, to Lillian. Back to the cruise ship, when she was pregnant with Lex. Their private cruise had been on and off for 3 months, stopping at various exotic locations. They were talking one night, soon after Lillian had begun to show in her pregnancy. Lionel had been so pleased throughout the entire time. He was ecstatic that his wife was going to bring their first child into the world. So, when she started to show, it was another cause for celebration. Lillian was pleased too, but not to Lionel's extent.  
"I don't see why you are so happy. I will only get fatter and crabbier. Soon you won't be able to stand me." She teased him lightly, peering down at him. She was seated on the bed and he on the floor with his head to her growing stomach.  
"That will never happen. I love you with all my heart, and the baby does too."  
"How do you know?" she asked him jokingly.  
"The baby told me." He said, smiling up at her.  
"I'm not surprised." She said dryly, "you spent half the day with your head on my stomach. What do people think, Lionel?"  
"That I am very in love with my very wonderful, brilliant, loving, beautiful wife."  
"Not too beautiful for long." She said as she grimaced at her stomach. Lionel looked at her reproachfully.  
"Lily, you will always be the most beautiful women in the whole entire world. I love you, and the baby does too! Oh, baby's kicking, oh Lily, our baby is kicking, can you feel it? Oh how wonderful, feel this Lily!" He said pressing his ear closer to one part of her middle, and bringing her hand down and pressing it on the same part.  
"Lionel, I can feel it, trust me. You forget sometimes the baby is in me! I can feel its every move." Lionel gave her a look that mixed between adoration of her and jealousy that she could feel the baby all the time and he could not.  
"That's another reason I am always at your stomach. I want to feel every single movement our baby makes. I want you and me to spend every moment we can with our baby."  
"Well, I have thought of a plus to me getting fat with this baby. Now you no longer need to run up to random people on the street and tell them I am pregnant."  
"I do that because they look at us strangely, and I don't want anyone having bad thoughts about you or the baby."  
"The reason they look at me oddly is because you insist on having your bodyguards carry me throughout the busy streets, because you always think I'm tired." She reminded him. He smiled at her.  
"Lets do something together. You, me and the baby." He told her.  
"Okay." She said, propping herself up on some pillows. "Continue."  
"Lets think of names".  
  
After a short debate they agreed upon Alexander for a boy and Alexandria for a girl.  
"The are lovely names Lionel." Lillian told him.  
"I thought so. Their namesake can be Alexander the Great, because this baby will inherit my company, just like Alexander inherited from his father.  
"Oh Lionel, you and your obsession with conquerors." Lionel was momentarily preoccupied because he thought he heard the baby moving, but then responded.  
"It's a good namesake. I want the best for the baby and it's mommy. I love you two with all my heart. You are beautiful." He said partially to her and partially to Alexander/dria.  
"I love you too Lionel. And I hope there is never a time when you can only find beauty in money and your company." They kissed.  
  
Lionel swiftly opened his eyes, and saw Martha's red hair, and for an instant thought that it was Lillian. He shivered. She turned.  
"Are you alright?" Martha asked him."  
"Yes, I just think I need to sit down." Martha led him to a seat.  
"My god Lionel, your as cold as ice! What happened?"  
"What, what you said, it made me remember," he was interrupted by the phone ringing. Being that it was one in the morning, Lionel and Martha exchanged a glance. She answered the phone anyway.  
"Hello?" at first all she heard was static, but then a voice came through. Cold, sharp and serious, it said;  
"Mrs. Kent?"  
"Yes?"  
"I called your house, but your husband said for me to try to reach you here. Are you all right? The area code is a Metropolis number." The voice was coming through clearer now.  
"Yes, I am fine, thank you. I cannot hear you very well. Who is this?"  
"Why, you do not recognize my voice? Martha Kent, the mother of my closet friend? The only friend my father ever made in Smallville, and the only person he did not manage to corrupt?" Martha gasped.  
"Lex?" 


	12. I love you

Author's note-  
  
I really need more reviews. I am trying to satisfy people, but I need more advice Oh, and for the person who asked about Chloe, she gets whats coming to her, but no, she won't be killed  
  
"Alexander?" Lionel croaked at the sound of his son's name. He could not believe what was before his eyes and ears. Martha was on the phone, looking amazed and nodding her head. It was his son on the phone. His son, who he had thought dead, was not dead but alive.  
  
Lucas arrived in Metropolis, and glanced at his watch. 2:00 am. He groaned and slumped back into the limousine. The drive from Edge City had been excruciatingly long. He had to leave his residence there after Lionel sent his men to investigate. Lucas was puzzled that it had taken Lionel so long to figure it all out; that Lucas had been the one to try to kill Lex and that Lionel was going about it the way he was; sending private investigators instead of hitmen. Certainly not to the style of Lionel Luthor. Lucas sighed. He had always been intrigued by being a Luthor, but in reality was more interested with his mother, Rachel DunLeavy; her story, and her side of the family. That was why he was in Metropolis. He had learned she was in a mental institution right outside the border of the city and he planned to visit her. To find out what really happened in 1985, and why he existed in the first place.  
  
Jonathan sighed and looked at the ceiling. He could not sleep. He stared at the empty side of the bed, wishing Martha were there to fill it. He knew it was best for her to leave, but he hated to be without her. He touched the wrapping on his head and groaned. It still hurt, but what hurt more was the memory of the look on Martha's face when he had done this to himself. Jonathan consoled himself with the thought that she was in Metropolis now, safe and sound, and hopefully having a decent time.  
  
Martha could hardly believe her ears. "Martha? Mrs. Kent? Are you there?" Lex asked frantically.  
"Yes, I'm here." She responded.  
"I decided to call you because you understand. You and Clark, and Mr. Kent as well have opened your family to me. I have done some things I am not proud of, but you have looked past those times, and forgiven me. I have decided to call you because of the relationship you once had with my father." Martha began to interrupt him but he continued. "You were, at one point his confidante, and the one person he could stand in the town. He admired and appreciated you. My father, he saw a part of my mother in you, and after awhile I began to see it too. The relationship with my father has been swept away, but I still see my mother in you. I know you are a wonderful mother to Clark and will make a wonderful mother to your baby." Tears had been welling up behind Martha's eyes since Lex mentioned her resemblance to his mother. At the mention of her baby, the tears began to flow.  
"Lex, the baby died. I lost it, and can't get pregnant again. When Jonathan and I left the wedding early, the power surge hit us hard. Jonathan lost control of the truck and it flipped. We were fine, but the impact was too hard for the baby to handle."  
"Mrs. Kent, I am so sorry." Lex stated.  
"Thank you. Your father, he came to the hospital room. Jonathan and him made peace with each other. Everything was fine between the three of us. But, the loss of my baby hurt me very much. Due to a series of following events, I shut Jonathan out. He, I made him, he felt awful, because of my actions. He smashed his head into a mirror. The next day, my father and Lionel came to take me to Metropolis. That's where we are now. Your father is here."  
"By series of events, do you mean the articles written by Chloe Sullivan. She was hired by my father. Wait, he is with you now?"  
"Yes Lex, we are in my father's apartment. I assure you, nothing is going on, we are having martinis and reminiscing. Please, talk to your father. He needs to talk to you." She glanced at Lionel, who had a look of utter loss on his face. "Please Lex."  
"All right." He said, as Martha handed the phone to Lionel. Lex looked around his sparsely decorated hospital room.  
"Son?" Lionel rasped. He wanted Lex to say anything, anything at all. Just so he could hear his voice, be convinced that his son was alive.  
"I'm here dad."  
"Alexander, I did not do this to you. Please, I would never do this to you. You are my son."  
"I know dad. I never thought the crash was instrumented by you." He replied.  
"I think I know who did I though." Lionel said. "Your half-brother, Lucas. Martha and I were discussing it, and we came to the conclusion. He is, extremely power hungry, and never truly forgave you for that hostage episode you pulled on him." Lex nodded, and said,  
"Do you still love Martha Kent?" he asked. Lionel stared straight ahead. He should be asking how his son was, his son should be asking how Clark is and the other people in Smallville. But, he responded.  
"At one point, yes. And still yes, in a way." Lex chuckled.  
"Why is it dad, you always fall for redheads, even when you can't see them? Mom, Rachel, and now Martha." Lionel did not respond. "hand the phone to Martha, I need to talk to her." Lionel did so, but first said.  
"I love you son; I don't know if I've ever told you. Please, come home." Lex responded softly.  
"I love you too dad. There is a first time for everything." Lionel handed the phone to Martha.  
"Mrs. Kent, is Clark with you? I really must speak to him." Lex said. Martha choked back a tear.  
"No Lex, he's not. Clark ran away after the accident, when he learned of what happened. I don't know where he is now. None of us do."  
"I am so sorry. Please, I must go now. Tell my father that I am in good hands, and am safe for now. I should be returning to America as soon as I can physically travel. Please, I must go. Thank you for everything." Martha heard a click as Lex hung up the phone. She slowly put the phone down.  
"He is safe, he says. He should be coming back to the states as soon as he can." She told Lionel. Lionel just stared into space. He was being pounded by endless emotions and could not think straight. His son was alive. His son was alive, and loved him. This is what Lillian would have wanted.  
  
Lillian looked on from heaven and smiled. She remembered those months on the boat when she was pregnant, how happy Lionel was. She wondered how he had gone from an over-excited father to be to a heartless, cold businessman.  
  
Lionel lay down on a couch, and stared up wearily at Martha.  
"What ever will we do with our sons?" he asked her jokingly. She rolled her eyes and sat down.  
"I have absolutely no idea."  
"Did you always want to have children?" he asked her.  
"Oh yes, always. I wanted to have a big family. Of course having Clark is probably the equivalent of having five children." She said eagerly.  
"I wanted kids too. Not many, maybe just one or two. I wanted both a son and a daughter. I always regret not having a daughter." Lionel mused, "no one to spoil rotten." He smiled.  
"I wanted a girl and a boy, or 2 an d2. I always wanted the numbers to be somewhat even. I never really got to think on the topic much you see, only when I was a little girl. When Jonathan and I were actually trying to have a baby, we learned that I couldn't conceive, so my wishes for children stopped there. I love Clark very much. He is my son. But, I was supposed to have a daughter. That's what the people of heaven told me. I will love Clark for my entire life. But I will always long for a daughter." 


	13. Two flashbacks, a portrait, and a reunio...

Author's note- okay, what is Mr. Clark's first name????  
  
Clark woke up and momentarily did not know where he was. Then he remembered his escape from Jor-El, and how he had gone to a Metropolis hotel. He rolled out of bed, went to the desk and checked out.  
  
Mr. Clark awoke, and walked into his kitchen. Throwing bread into the toaster, he went to check up on his daughter. He looked into her room, and smiled. Martha was fast asleep, with a smile on her face. He missed her, he truly did. Having his daughter home to spend time with, okay, having his daughter willingly speak to him was a great improvement then the past.  
  
20 years ago Martha marched in the door of her father's house. Previously her house until this morning.  
"Dad!" she screamed. Mr. Clark walked into the front hall. He held a pack of ice to his eye.  
"Sweetheart, Martha, I'm glad your home."  
"You called Jonathan a hick?!?! Said he wasn't good enough to support me?!?!" she screamed at him. Martha had never been angrier with anyone in her entire life. She could hardly believe Jonathan when he came up to her with what her father had said. Jonathan had insisted on asking Mr. Clark for Martha's hand as a gesture of goodwill. A gesture that ended up giving one man a black eye and one man a broken spirit.  
"Yes, and I stand by my decision. And after I said that, your hick boyfriend gave me a black eye!" he shouted back at her.  
"My fiancé Jonathan had good reason! I can't believe you! Why are you doing this to me?" Mr. Clark dropped the ice pack, which clattered on the marble floor.  
"You-your still marrying him?" he sputtered.  
"Yes I am marrying him! He asked you to be nice, to try to create a bond between the two of you. He did it because it was the right thing to do! The bond the two of you share now is a injured soul in the car outside, and the mark on your face."  
"He is outside of this house?" Martha began to walk the other way, out of her father's view. She walked down the hall, toward her room.  
"Yes he is outside, he is waiting for me to get my things. Then we are leaving for Smallville."  
"You are actually going with that man?" he asked incredulously.  
"Yes I am. I love him, and I am going to spend the rest of my life with him. Now, I need to get my things."  
"Why, why do this? You are so smart, you have so much potential. You have dreams! You could go to any law school in the country. I- I hoped, that eventually, you could have the practice." He knew it was low, trying to bribe her to stay here. And he knew if his daughter had turned out in any way the way he wanted her to be, it wouldn't work. But he had to try. "You could come work for me now, if you want. Please, don't do this to yourself. Don't throw your life away!" Martha grabbed a small duffel bag from her closet. To her father's surprise, it was already packed.  
"You've been planning this?"  
"No, the plan was to go down there today to plan the wedding. But since it is obvious you won't want to attend, we will go down there to plan and have the wedding. I will send you a card of the reception." Martha walked out of the room, and to the front hall. She shrugged.  
"Dad, I love him. I always will. Please, be happy for me. I'm going to get married, have a family." She smiled up at him. He did not smile back. She sighed and looked to her side.  
"Well, goodbye then dad. I love you. I will call you when we get there. You're welcome to come visit us. Goodbye." She hugged him, and left. As she walked down the steps to the car, her father peered through the window. Jonathan hopped out of the car and took her bags. As she opened the door, she looked straight at her father. Quickly, she turned her head and got in the car. It drove away.  
  
Martha slowly opened her eyes, and saw her father in the doorway, staring off into space.  
"Hi dad." She said. She knew he was thinking of the day she left. She always got a distant look on her face when she thought of it too. After that day, she had tried to talk to him on the day of the wedding, and after they came home form the honeymoon. Both attempts had failed. The only other time she had truly talked to him was when she found out she couldn't have children.  
  
17 years ago  
  
"I'm sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Kent, to have to give you bad news." The doctor said, looking at the young couple sadly. Jonathan clasped Martha's hand tighter. She shook out of fear, fear of what the doctor was about to tell them.  
"Yes doctor?" Jonathan asked. Martha remained silent as a tomb.  
"I am sorry, but the results show that Martha is unable to conceive. She can't have children." The doctor looked at the young couple gravely. Martha had begun to cry, Jonathan teared a little too.  
"Thank you doctor." He mumbled. Martha had cried all the way home, and for hours after that. She cried herself to sleep, and nothing Jonathan did could comfort her. Finally, the next morning, she felt he had enough composure to make a telephone call. She called her father. The phone rang twice, and then he picked up.  
"Hello?"  
"Daddy?" she whispered.  
"Hello Martha."  
"Dad, I have something I need to tell you."  
"What is it? Have you and the farmer gone broke? Do you need money?" Mr. Clark knew he should control himself but couldn't, "do you want a divorce? Did you get injured milking a cow or what not? Did he abandon you?"  
"No, nothing like that!" she said, feeling herself beginning to get hysterical.  
"So, what? Did he get you pregnant?"  
"No! I will never get pregnant! I can't get pregnant! We tried, and went to the doctor, and found out yesterday I can't conceive! I will never have a child! I will never be a mother! So there will be no children of Jonathan's and mine to shame you!" she slammed the phone down and burst into tears.  
  
Martha's thoughts of the past stopped, and found herself staring at her father. He knew what she had been thinking about, he had thought the same thing.  
"I'm sorry, you know. I never meant,"  
"I know dad." Martha said gently. She got up and walked towards him. "So, whats for breakfast?"  
"Toast for me, whatever you want for you." They walked out into the kitchen, and opened the door to the living room, planning to go sit. However, they saw Lionel, fast asleep on the couch.  
"How do you know Mr. Luthor?" her father asked.  
"From town. Jonathan, Clark and I keep getting thrown into situations with him and his son. I worked for him at one point."  
"Martha, why is Mr. Luthor asleep in my living room?" he asked her. Mr. Clark said it so simply, she could not help but smile.  
"Dad, I don't know. I had him lay down there, he was feeling sick. I went to bed, I thought he would get up and leave but he didn't."  
"Why?"  
"I don't know. Mr. Luthor, Lionel, he is a very sad man, dad. He lives a life of many regrets."  
"Don't be cryptic."  
"I'm sorry dad, but be kind to him. He is a very good friend of mine and of Jonathan."  
"I assumed so, your husband wouldn't ask just anyone to come up here and keep you sufficiently entertained. Martha, the one thing I cannot understand is,"  
  
But Mr. Clark never got to say the one thing he could never understand because at that moment, Lionel stirred and Martha went over to him.  
"Lionel," she whispered. "Lionel, please wake up." Lionel slowly awoke and looked at Martha groggily. For a moment, he thought she was Lillian. He sat up.  
"Oh, I am so sorry for falling asleep here. I just lay down to rest my eyes, and the next moment, I am being woken up. Once again, I do apologize."  
"Nonsense, Mr. Luthor, it wasn't a problem at all. Come and have some breakfast with us." Mr. Clark said heartily. Martha mouthed "Thank You" to him and he smiled as he led Lionel into the kitchen.  
  
Lucas walked into the Metropolis Mental Heath Hospital. He walked up to the front desk and said.  
"Hello, I am here to see Rachel DunLeavy." The man at the desk typed something into the computer, blinked at the screen, and said.  
"I'm sorry, Mrs. DunLeavy is not allowed visitors." Lucas sighed and put a hundred-dollar bill on the desk.  
"Hello, I am here to see Rachel DunLeavy."  
"Room 506, make sure no one sees you, or we'll both be in trouble." The man told him as he grabbed the bill. Lucas walked down the hall. "Room 504, 505," Lucas muttered to himself, reading the door signs. He stood in from of Room 506, and walked in. inside was padded white wall, and a small cot. A newspaper lay strewn on the floor. A small woman sat on the bed.  
"Who the hell are you?" she asked, pulling her red hair back.  
"I'm Lucas mom, I'm your son."  
  
Pete walked into Chloe's room, where she was reading a book. She put it down.  
"Oh hi Pete. How are you? I haven't seen much of you around lately."  
"I've been at the Kent farm a lot, helping Mr. Kent."  
"Why? Now that Clark is gone the Kents are suddenly unable to do anything on their own?" she asked moodily.  
"No," Pete replied, his voice rising slightly, "Mr. Kent needs help with farm chores. With Clark gone and Mrs. Kent in Metropolis, he doesn't have enough time to do everything himself."  
"Mrs. Kent is in Metropolis?" Chloe questioned, raising her eyebrows.  
"Yes, apparently she is off visiting her father. I think she needed more time to recover from the accident, and needed to get away from the town."  
"Do the Kent's know that Lionel Luthor is also in the city? Oh, and do you know why Jonathan's head is wrapped with bandages?"  
"No to both questions." Chloe raised her head slightly.  
"I feel sorry for the Kents. Clark was their whole lives, and now he is gone. And that baby, the chance of their lives, is gone too." Pete could stay silent no longer.  
"Goddamnit Chloe!" he shouted. Surprised, she looked at him,  
"What?"  
"You haven't seen a lot of me, but I've seen a lot of you. Or, your writing. All these, reporter speaks out articles. All that stuff about Clark, Chloe, why? It's tearing the Kents apart. Mr. Kent's head is bandaged because he smashed it into a mirror, in response to everything going on. Mrs. Kent is in the city because Mr. Kent asked her to, because he didn't want her to have to go through anything more. Your articles are not helping. They aren't helping anyone, not even you. Chloe, what happened to you? Where is my friend, where is Clark's friend?"  
"I was sick of Clark's secrets. I am sick of everyone's secrets around this place!" she shouted back at him.  
"Yeah, well, I've got a secret for you! I loved you!" he shouted at her. She looked at him in shock. "Yep, I was head-over-heels, full blown out completely and totally crushing on you. I never made a move because I thought you liked Clark, and I was right. But I didn't mind admiring you from afar." Chloe was speechless. And then, a little part of her felt something she hadn't felt before, with Clark or anyone. Then, she realized something.  
"Pete, I think I feel the same way about you." she whispered.  
"That's too bad," he screamed. Pete didn't know what he was saying. Everything was just so out of control. He felt guilty for what had happened to everyone, and he couldn't hold it in. and now, with Chloe acting this way.  
"Chloe, I used to love you. I liked you, before you changed. Now, I'm not sure if we can even be friends." He whispered. He left the room. Lana walked into the hallway, wondering what all the noise was about. She was shocked to see Pete storm out of Chloe's room.  
"Pete, what's going on?"  
"I'm sorry Lana, I got to go." He replied, without looking at her. Lana looked into Chloe's room, where Chloe was sobbing. When she looked back at Pete, he was gone.  
"Oh Lana!" Chloe cried between sobs, "I've made a horrible mistake!"  
  
Clark walked around Metropolis. So this is where mom grew up, he thought to himself. It was a big city, full of skyscrapers. The new york city of Kanses, to give an example. He found himself outside the Luthorcorp building. What can it hurt? He thought. Clark went inside.  
  
Lex sat up in the hospital bed, talking to his docters. He was on the island of Merl, a French Isle known for its wine. He spoke fluent French at one point so was able to communicate. He had been found on teh beach by a young boy who had gone out there to play. People don't often go on that beach, and children aren't allowed, he had been told, it was too rocky and the waves too high for it to be safe. Lex had nodded, he knew that from the unfortunate experience of washing up there and almost dying, then being stranded there for a week.  
"You see, I must return to the states as soon as possible. I have business to attend to." He told the docter in french.  
"Mr. Luthor, we understand. But your health is the most important business of all. You are not well enough to travel. You are in good hands here, but we do not have the technology of America. It will take you longet ot recover here."  
"You don't understand, you see, my wife, she tried to kill me. That's how I ended up here. I need to find her. I need to know why." The docter smiled sypathecticly.  
"I am sorry Mr. Luthor. But we do not have the rescources to move you." The docter left the room.  
  
Mr. Clark, Lionel and Martha slowly finished up breakfast.  
"I was thinking," Lionel said, dabbing his mouth with his napkin, "That Martha and I could go to my office today. Sort of a reunion for the former personal assistant, and sort of an extra help to me. How does that sound?"  
"Excellent." Martha replied.  
"Its settled then. We will leave soon, spend the morning in the office, and then go out to lunch at a fine Metropolis restaurant. Then, I thought we could visit your old high school, and then your old college, and you can show me where you met Jonathan. Then, we can return here, and the three of us can go out to dinner."  
"Sounds great!" Martha said enthusiastically.  
"Sounds good to me; but Mr. Luthor, I must ask you one question. Why are you doing this for me and my daughter?"  
"Please, call me Lionel. And I am doing this because I promised Jonathan I would look after the two of you. For some reason he says that if I left you here aloe together, Martha would have been gone for Smallville the first night." Mr. Clark smiled; he knew Lionel was telling the truth. For some reason unknown to him, Lionel was keeping Martha in the city. And the city is where Martha needed to be.  
"We'll be off then Dad," Martha said. She and Lionel left the apartment and went to the Luthorcorp building. Martha did some exploring, and Lionel tried to do some work. Little did Martha know that she was in the same building as her son.  
  
Clark wandered around the building, talking to random people, reading the posters on the walls about the company, etc. the people thought he was an intern, and happy to answer any of his questions. When he got to Lionel Luthor's floor, the first thing he saw was a large portrait. He looked at it closely. It was obviously a family portrait painting, of a stern looking man, a red-haired lady, and a young boy, also with red hair. After looking at it closer, he noticed that though the man looked stern, his eyes were gentle and smiling. The lady had a gentle smile on her face, and rested her hand on her stomach. He realized that she was pregnant. The young boy had his mother's hair and smile, and his father's eyes. Clark felt as though he had seen them all before. But where? Then it hit him. This was the Luthor family. The boy was Lex, and the man and lady were  
"Lionel and Lillian Luthor." A soft voice said from behind him. Clark turned. A short, elderly man stood there. "I see you are impressed by the work." Clark nodded. "This was when Lionel and Lillian were still very much in love. You see she is pregnant? She is pregnant with their second son Julian. Such a beautiful baby. Such a tragedy when he died. The family was never the same. See how happy Mr. Luthor looks here. He insisted on frowning, but he looks happy just the same. And their little boy, Lex. Such a charming boy." The man sighed. "Now the family is much different. Lillian is gone, and Lionel never smiles, with his eyes or otherwise. And Lex, he is carving his own path, strong son that he is, but he has made a disastrous turn. And other members of the Luthor clan plan to take over, Lucas, and his mother. But hope still remains for the cursed Luthors. Lillian, they say, was their angel. And some are saying that Lillian walks the halls of the building again today. Good luck to you young man." Clark turned to face the man, but he had disappeared.  
"Whats going on?" Clark said to himself. Then, he felt a breeze, and turned to his left. He saw a person walking down his way. They got closer, and he could see it was a lady with red hair. "Lillian walks the halls again," he mused to himself, transfixed on the approaching figure. The he realized who it was.  
"Mom" he cried, and ran down to greet her.  
  
She saw him running toward her, but couldn't believe her eyes.  
"Clark, honey, Clark?" she rasped. He ran up to her and hugged her.  
"Mama, its me! I love you mom! I'm sorry I left, I will never leave you again!" he cried. Martha began to cry. She looked over Clark's shoulder, and saw the elderly man smiling. She blinked, and he was gone. 


	14. The death of a buisness oppurtunity

Rachel and Lucas sat on the bed, and talked about past events. Past events that mainly revolved around Lionel Luthor. Lucas explained that Clark was not her son, he was, and that Clark was another one of Lionel Luthor's secrets. Lucas thought he might be another half brother, but Rachel doubted the possibility.  
"Then he would have been put into the adoption service, not taken out of it. No, the Kents have something to do with it too. We will figure it out, my dearest son." They then discussed Lex, the only acknolged son of Lionel Luthor. When Lucas told her what he did to Lex, how he had stopped Helen on the highway, convinced her to turn against him, and how he was the driver of her limo, and offered her money to kill Lex on the plane, Rachel smiled with glee. "Very good my son, very clever of you. Very, Luthor of you." Then, he felt brave enough to ask her a question.  
"Rachel, Mother? Why did you have an affair with Lionel? And why did you keep me, the product, the proof of the affair, instead of disposing of me?" Rachel smiled when Lucas called her mother.  
"Because," she said stiffly, "You see, Lionel Luthor was a very charming, convinceing man. I thought I loved him. And I thought he loved me. His love for Lillian deteriorated as she did, or his physical love of her at least. I was a pleasurable substitute, my physical ressembleance, but not mirror imagry of her helped. He was attracted to me because I looked like her, but not to the point where he could tell. Also, he fell for how I acted. I didn't treat him as a God, like the other nurses did. I treated him like a man. Which, he apparently liked. We were having an affair for three months before I found out I was pregnant with you. I was still in the first couple of weeks, and I didn't tell him. One night, I asked him in a joking matter, what would happen if I were to get pregnant. He told me firmly that I would abort the baby, no questions asked. I thought their was no problem to that plan, so agreed. But a month later, I began to think that having and bearing a bastard child of Lionel Luthor's could have its uses. Of course I was praying you would be normal, not deformed in any way. When I had you, I returned to him, and told him he had to marry me or I would bring it to the press. W struck a deal, that he would find you a home, and give me money. He also made sure I was undergoing treatment. I am not insane, son. But it gets me out of Lionel's hair.  
However, a few months back, I wanted to find you. Then I came across Metropolis United Charities, and with a little investigating, I found out the truth. I went to Smallville, thinking that Clark Kent was my son. There, I met him, Jonathan and Martha Kent. I liked Martha, very sweet, kind lady. Much like the late Lillian Luthor, in body and spirit. Anyway, I kidnapped Lex and told Lionel I would kill him unless he admitted to the press that Clark was our son. He did not, and I almost killed Lex. But, Clark saved him. He used some, magic power. It was terrifying. However, it was then that I got sent here."  
"So I was a business opportunity?" Lucas asked.  
"Yes, you were. A failed one at that. Much like I am to you at the moment." She responded.  
"What do you want from me?" Lucas asked.  
"I want you to take me out of this place. Get me out of this asylum."  
"I need Lionel to do that, he put you in this place."  
"Then you need to get rid of Lex and get to Lionel. Or get in control of him. Do whatever it takes to get your mother out of here, and you will be rewarded." Lucas nodded as he snuck out of her room.  
  
Lionel stood on the roof of his building. Strange as it sounds, he liked it up there. He could see all around the city, and out into the neighboring towns from the top of the skyscraper. He thought he could even see Smallville. He sat on the cement and contemplated the events of the last two weeks. Lex being gone, Martha's miscarriage, Chloe's rampage, Jonathan's forgiveness, Martha's acceptance. Then, Jonathan's self-injury, and Martha's exile to Metropolis. It had been a busy two weeks, he mused; but a prosperous two weeks just the same.  
"Lionel Luthor!" he heard shouted behind him. He turned and saw Lucas, in a rage, run toward him. "How dare you put my mother in a hospital!" he shouted as he tried to beat Lionel up. Lionel was quick on his feet and kept dodging.  
"Lucas, you don't understand!"  
"Oh but I do! We weren't important to you, so you pretended like we did not exist! Well, you can pay me back for that. Take my mom out of the hospital!"  
"No! she needs to be there! This is hard for you to understand Lucas, but Rachel is very ill. She needs the treatment there!" Lionel backed away toward the edge of the building. Lucas charged toward him.  
"No she doesn't!" she shouted. Lionel threw himself on the ground next to the mini wall on the edge of the building. Lucas, not expecting it, tripped over Lionel and the wall, and fell over the side of the skyscraper, to his death. 


	15. The Return of the Kents

Lionel slowly walked down from the roof to his office on the 30th floor. As he was about to enter his office, he saw Martha running toward him.  
"Martha," he gasped, "Lucas, Lucas is," but she did not hear him. Running toward him, she called.  
"Lionel, you won't believe it! Clark, Clark is alive! He's here, he came back. She ran to him and hugged him. Lionel loosely patted her on the back, thinking to himself, that now no one must ever know about Lucas. Lucas was no longer important, that demon was gone. Through his tearing eyes he saw Clark standing in the background smiling. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw an older man, who he had never seen, but who looked familiar just the same. He blinked, and it might have been his vision, which was sufficiently blurred, but he thought he clearly saw Lillian nodding and smiling in place of the elderly man. He blinked again, and she too was gone.  
  
Pete sat in his room, reading comics. He glanced at his laptop and sighed. No new emails, and therefore, no idea of where Clark was. He looked back at the page, but couldn't concentrate. He heard a beep from the computer and looked up.  
"You have one new message." The computer beeped. Pete rolled over to it, and opened the message.  
Dear Pete, it read  
First, I want to say how sorry I am for hurting you. You are my dearest friend and I am so sorry. I am sorry for hurting Clark. It is very hard for me to understand Clark, and I get confused and upset by his actions. But those are not excuses or reasons, what I have been putting the Kents through is heartless and cruel, and instead of publicizing a half- solved story to spite the whole family, I should work out my differences with Clark. I am sorry I had to go completely insane before I noticed the truth, before you opened my eyes to the truth.  
I treasure our friendship, but I am willing to take it to the next level if you still feel the way you said you once did. I truly care for you, and always have. It just took the loss of your feelings and care for me to notice it.  
I will understand if you never wish to speak to me again. I should also tell you that I was in a partnership with Lionel Luthor, in investigating Clark. After these recent events, he broke off the deal. It was I who continued as previously planned, even though he begged me not to.  
I am truly sorry  
I love you  
Chloe  
  
Lana received a similar note on her beside table, apologizing for Chloe's actions in anger against Lana and Clark. Not that Chloe was fully responsible, Lana admitted to herself bitterly. If only one of us had told her, some of this mayhem could have been prevented. It was Lana and Clark who were the cowards, not Chloe. But just the same, Lana was cheered up that her best friend was speaking to her again. Chloe meant more to her than Clark ever could. Because Chloe was her friend, and always there for her.  
  
Pete stared at the email in disbelief. The phone rang, and he picked up.  
"Yes?"  
"Pete, this is Mr. Kent. I have wonderful news! Martha and Lionel found Clark!"  
  
Lionel, Martha and Clark all met in Lionel's office. It was quickly determined that Clark and Martha were to return to Smallville immediately.  
"Lionel, please, come with us." Martha asked him. "You are such a wonderful part of all our lives, you are the reason Clark and I have been reunited." But Lionel smiled and shook his head.  
"No, I must stay here. I have business to attend to. But, I will come and see you soon. Now, call your father from the chopper, I will lead you there right away." And so he did. He saw them off, and returned to his office. Martha looked at the building as long as she could before it faded out of view. Clark looked at her.  
"Mom, what happened between you and Mr. Luthor? I see the Kent contempt is no longer there for him. Where is Lex in all of this?" Martha looked at her son sadly, and told him the story. He was sad at the end, and did not speak a word. Martha left him, and went to call her father.  
"Dad?" she said when he picked up.  
"Oh, Martha! Great, when will you and Mr. Luthor be home for dinner?" her father asked eagerly. Martha told him what happened, and where she was. "Oh, I see." He said softly. "Well, give my regards to Jonathan and Clark. Live happily, Martha." He said before hanging up. Mr. Clark was saddened, and could not help it. He had his only child with him for such a short time, and now she was gone again, never to return. Martha put the phone down, and sighed. She knew he was sad. But she had her life and he had his. She wanted him in her life, more than anything. But he despised Jonathan, and would never come to Smallville willingly.  
  
Lionel sat in his study. He had watched the chopper until it had gone out of view. He sat, with his eyes closed in his chair, letting his mind mull over the events of the past days. Suddenly, he heard Martha's voice as if she was beside him talking.  
I will always long for a daughter Lionel knew in his heart what had to be done. Slowly, he got up from his chair and went to the phone.  
  
The people of heaven looked down kindly on these events, and slowly moved away from the horizon, and continued the peaceful existence they had been living before al their loved living souls had gotten so disrupted. Things were right in their after-world.  
  
Lex hung up the phone, and was wheeled out of his hospital room, to a waiting jet. He had called his father's board members, and got them to get him a jet to Merl to fly him home. After saying farewell to his doctors, he was wheeled onto the plane, it took off, heading for Metropolis. 


	16. Dreams do come true

Author's note- the final chapter! Thanks to all who have reviewed and enjoyed this story. Please tell me your final thoughts; I want to write another story for the smallville section soon! Thanks much- Eeyore  
  
Lex arrived in Metropolis and went to his father's office. However, instead of his father standing there, he saw a very distraught older man, who came up to him as soon as he saw him.  
"Are you Lex Luthor?" he demanded.  
"Yes sir, I am." Lex replied, leaning on a crutch.  
"Where is your father, Lionel? I have business with him concerning my daughter."  
"Alright sir, I will see what I can do. I don't think my father is in right now, and I don't know where he went. Do you have any idea?"  
"I know he was going to see my daughter and her son off in a helicopter. Martha and Clark Kent." Lex looked up.  
"You are Mr. Clark!"  
"You know me?"  
"By reputation only. I've heard about you from your grandson and others."  
"Well, if you have heard anything from Jonathan, he doesn't care for me much." Mr. Clark said stiffly.  
"Another person who Jonathan would prefer not to exist? That makes two of us on his list." Lex said grimly. "Mr. Clark, I think you need a ride to Smallville. I do too. Come with me." Mr. Clark followed Lex out of the office.  
  
"I am aborting the project." Lionel said into his cell phone as he navigated the crowded streets of Metropolis.  
"Yes sir." Said the agent on the other end of the line, "But what are we to do with the evidence?"  
"Destroy the files."  
"And the sepciman?"  
"I will be there to retrieve her momentarily." Lionel said.  
  
Martha and Clark walked up to the farm, and saw all their friends waiting for them at the house. Jonathan, and the Rosses, Mr. Sullivan and others. Lana was there, and Pete and Chloe, arm in arm. They were warmly welcomed.  
"I'm so happy your back sweetheart." Jonathan whispered to Martha when they had a moment alone.  
"Me too."  
"Where is Lionel?"  
"He said he had business to attend to in the city." She frowned slightly.  
"Whats wrong honey?"  
"Its just, I wish my father could be here, and see how happy we are together. When I was in the city, I realized how much I missed him."  
"Martha, I think you got your wish." Jonathan said happily. Martha turned and her father was standing behind her. She began to cry and hugged him.  
"Everyone needs their father." Another voice said behind Jonathan. He turned, and saw Lex. Jonathan smiled.  
"This was you, now wasn't it?" the crowd behind them laughed. Lex bashfully nodded.  
  
The celebration went on, and soon the sun was setting and everyone was on the porch for some lemonade. Lex stood up to make a toast, and a speech of sorts. He had his back to the field, so could not see the figures rising on the horizon, coming toward them.  
"I wanted to speak today, because I think there is a lot to be said. We all have been aware of the Kents these past weeks, and the great loss they've suffered. Jonathan squeezed Martha's hand. "Jonathan and Martha Kent are two of the best parents ever. Clark is lucky to have them. And I believe, in a way, them not being able to have their own children has been less of a loss through their ability to be parents to each and every one of us here. I am only saddened that my father has to miss this moment, of every one of us all happy together. Because, I love him, and have missed him over these past weeks. Part of the Kent's story involves Lionel Luthor. Martha Kent changed him. And when you see him around, you will notice. The Kents have offered the Luthors friendship, all of us friendship, and by loving us, I believe they have given us the chance to love each other." Everyone applauded, especially Lionel who was standing right behind Lex.  
"I've missed you son." He said as he drew Lex in for a hug. Lionel then walked onto the porch.  
"I am sorry to have missed the beginning of this event, but I had to fetch a certain person. In our days in the city together, I got to know Martha well, and how the loss of her baby affected her. And although this cannot heal the pain, I have found someone else for the Kent's to be a parent to." Their was someone standing behind Lionel, but Martha and Jonathan could not see who. "Martha said that she knew she was meant to have a daughter, and that was what her baby was to be. Though the baby is gone, and they cannot have another, I believe Martha can still have her daughter." The girl stepped out from behind Lionel and Martha gasped. Emily Dinsmore smiled.  
"Please, be my mommy." She said plainly. "Lionel said you were the best mommy in the world. He has taken good care of me, but now he wants you to. Will you be my mommy?" Martha smiled and cried, nodding her head. Emily burst into laughter, and ran up to Martha giving her a hug. "Yea! Now I have a mommy and a daddy and a brother, and an Uncle Lionel!" everyone laughed. Lionel looked a bit startled at his new name, but smiled. He handed Jonathan the birth certificate.  
"Its all there, her papers."  
"Emily L. Kent." Jonathan read off the paper.  
"I had to change her middle name to make her record unsimilar to the one of Emily Eve Dinsmore. I hope you liked the name I picked. I chose Lillian." Lionel said.  
"Emily Lillian Kent. Thank you so much Lionel." Martha said smiling.  
  
Hours later, everyone had left but Mr. Clark, and Lionel. Jonathan, Mr. Clark, and Clark sat at the table, Lionel stood y Jonathan. Martha was at the front, putting dishes in the sink with Emily.  
"Mommy, I love you." Emily said. Martha smiled and picked her up. She turned and faced the table. Her father and Jonathan had made peace with each other. Her whole life, past and present had come together over her daughter, her baby, her Emily Lillian.  
  
I guess even in great loss, dreams do come true. Martha thought to herself.  
  
THE END 


End file.
